Electric Cars Are More Reliable Than Gas Cars — New Study

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A new study from the German Automobile Club (ADAC) tells us what we’ve always suspected would be the case — electric cars are much more reliable than gasoline-powered cars.

German Automobile Club (ADAC) is the largest roadside assistance organization in Europe. If you’re American, think AAA. With an enormous amount of its own data — responding to 3.6 million breakdowns last year, for example — ADAC can really dig in and come to some solid conclusions. Also, it’s apparent they are doing things the right way, eager to come to correct conclusions, not just a preferred talking point. With more EVs on the road, and enough EVs getting older, ADAC was able to come to some important findings.

“For the first time in 2024, the ADAC said it had enough data to make a confident call on EV reliability, and that call favors electric,” Carscoops writes. “With another year of data behind them, the case has only grown stronger. While it responded to more EV calls for service than ever before, those accounted for just 43,678 out of the 3.6 million total or just 1.2%.” But what does that mean in broader context?

“For cars first registered between 2020 and 2022, electric vehicles experienced 4.2 breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles,” Handelsblatt writes. In comparison, cars powered by fossil fuels (petrol, diesel) had 10.4 breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles. Wow! That’s a huge difference.

So, for all the claims that electric cars are just as unreliable and likely to break down because of one story here or there, that’s just misleading. With high volumes, there are going to be issues that sneak through or pop up, and even “lemon” cars. However, overall, electric cars are clearly much less likely to leave you unable to drive on the side of the road.

Perhaps just as interesting, the EV breakdowns largely come down to one simple issue. In 50% of EV breakdowns and 45% of fossil fuel car breakdowns, it was a 12V battery dying that left drivers stranded. (I will say that one update I have gotten in my Tesla Model 3 since I bought it in 2019 is Tesla now provides a warning on the screen when you need to replace your 12V battery. This should be the norm and helps a ton.)

However, beyond the 12V battery, electric cars are just more reliable. “In almost every single category over the last few years, combustion cars have seen more or equal issues when compared to EVs, including the electrical system, engine management, and lighting,” Carscoops adds.

Naturally, we don’t have solid long-term studies to lean on yet on these matters. Not enough electric cars were being sold 10 years ago to have this kind of research yet. However, simple logic and understanding of the simpler drivetrains of electric cars implies that we will have similar results for cars that have been on the road for a decade. In fact, one would think that’s especially where EVs shine, as that’s when many components of gas/diesel cars break down — components that EVs don’t have. Stay tuned. In the meantime, feel assured in your more reliable electric cars, and be sure to watch out for your little 12V battery dying.