99% Overestimate The Chance Of EV Cars Running Out Of Charge

Published Date: 7th Oct 2021

The AA says that most drivers are overestimating the chances that an EV car could run out of charge. In a poll of over 14,000 drivers, on average motorists thought that almost two thirds of all EV vehicle breakdowns would be down to the vehicle running out of charge.

Some key reasons for this misconception could be underestimating the UK’s EV charging infrastructure which is expanding rapidly and the average vehicle range. Most of the newest EV cars have a range of over 130 miles, many offer over 150 miles and some even offer a range of over 200 miles now.

According to AA statistics, of 13,000 breakdown call-outs for electric vehicles in 2020, just 4% were for vehicles that had run out of charge.

The AA also say that this figure has been coming down rapidly over the last few years, presumably due to the rapidly expanding number of charging points available in the UK and the longer range the latest new EV cars offer.

The AA say that this is the most common myth about EV cars and in fact the main reasons for call-outs to EV cars is much the same as traditional petrol and diesel cars. These include punctures/tyre damage and a depleted 12v battery.

The 12v battery in a traditional petrol or diesel car is used for the ignition to start the engine. In an electric car you still have the small 12v battery along with the much larger one that powers the vehicle, the 12v in an EV car powers up the onboard computer as there is no ignition as such.