by The German organization for technical inspection TÜV has analyzed the reliability of electric cars for the first time. For the first time – because cars with electric power units appeared relatively recently, and the organization requires a certain amount of data for a complete picture.
The first special assessment showed that the main weak points of electric cars, after 3 years of operation, are the brakes, headlights, transverse arms, and suspension. These conclusions were made after checking four models of electric cars that have been sold in Germany in sufficient numbers for objective assessments over the past few years. In particular, these are:
- Renault ZOE
- BMW i3
- Smart fortwo Electric Drive
- Tesla Model S
According to TUV statistics, factory defects appear on average in 4.7% of 2-3-year-old vehicles (both electric and internal combustion engine cars). That is, in every 47 cars out of 1000. This is important for understanding the reliability of electric cars.
The Most Reliable Electric Cars According to TUV
- Smart fortwo
- BMW i3
- Renault ZOE
The top-ranked in quality according to the TUV rating – the electric Smart fortwo, had defects in 3.5% of cars that appeared after 3 years of operation. Or, 35 cars out of 1000.
In second place is the BMW i3. The number of breakdowns that appeared in this electric car after 3 years of operation corresponds to the average. This is 4.7%. TUV experts noted problems with brake system components and low beam headlights.
In electric cars, brakes are used less frequently than in cars with internal combustion engines. Therefore, their components are more prone to corrosion. This situation is typical for all electric cars because energy recovery during braking additionally charges the battery. Incidentally, TUV experts advise electric car owners to brake regularly using the brake pedal. Even though electric cars with so-called One-Pedal-Drive are quite capable of stopping and slowing down without using the brake pedal.
The Renault ZOE is the most popular electric car in Germany. But it ranks third in reliability according to TUV assessments. Out of 1000 Renault ZOE cars aged 3 years, defects were found in 5.7% of vehicles. TUV experts noted frequent malfunctions or poor adjustment of the main headlights, as well as suspension problems.
The Least Reliable Electric Car – Tesla Model S
The TUV rating showed the worst results for the most expensive of the compared electric cars – Tesla Model S. Among the problem areas of this model are the low and high beam headlights, as well as the fog lights. Defects were also found in the transverse arms. As a result, according to TUV experts, malfunctions were found in 10.7% of Tesla Model S vehicles. This means that approximately every tenth car of this model did not pass the German technical inspection on the first attempt. With such indicators, Tesla cars were ranked in the lower third of the overall TUV reliability rating (which includes vehicles with internal combustion engines).
TJ via Autoconsulting
