EV driver exposes major problem with repairing an electric car: ‘I thought it was a misprint’

An electric car owner has lashed out at the expensive cost to repair a vehicle.

The Victorian panel beater was left stunned after he was quoted $3,000 for a front bumper replacement for his MG EV. 

His story comes as mechanics reveal repairing electric vehicles are substantially more expensive than their petrol competitors. 

‘I thought it was a misprint but no, that’s the cost,’ the panel beater wrote online. 

‘I looked for a second-hand bar, no go! Bugger all availability. My last phone call I got very lucky, only one available in Melbourne I could find and it’s the same colour.’

He drove some 500km to collect the bumper, which had some chips in its paint, from a wrecker for $770. 

Sydney Hybrid and Electric Cars owner Gerry Marson said replacement and repair costs are indeed high in the industry and predicts the situation will be further exacerbated if cheap EVs from China flood the Australian market.

Australians are buying more new electric vehicles each year as more brands enter the market

He said there is no information on where spare parts for the vehicles would come from.

‘It’s crazy. The government should be responsible,’ he told Yahoo.

‘The problem is, they (Chinese EVs) will sell well as people gravitate to these vehicles as they’re cheap.’

He said an EV mechanic’s job was already difficult as they were required to run diagnostics on sophisticated technological components.

Mr Marson said sourcing specialist mechanics and having to buy repair parts from overseas mean a major failure in an EV could cost between $10,000 and $15,000.

He predicts a large number of EVs will be scrapped when owners are hit with massive mechanic bills on a cheap, older EV cars.

‘As problems start to occur, you cannot get this and you can’t get that. It doesn’t matter whether it’s diesel, petrol, hybrid or EV if you have an engine or software problem. You can’t even change a headlight without software,’ he said.

Mr Marson revealed he recently endured a troubling ordeal with an unnamed Chinese manufacturer who insisted he pay freight costs on warranty parts – additional costs that would be passed onto the customer.

However, he says the cost of all repairs has risen since he started working in the automotive industry, linked to the rising price of technologies for both electric and petrol powered vehicles.

‘EVs are more expensive to repair but overall, even a petrol engine water pump can cost between $600 to $1000,’ Mr Marson said.

‘That would be $50 in my day, those days are gone. All this modern technology all around us comes at a huge cost.’

Crashes could mean owners are hit with extraordinary bills for replacement parts and panels

Australians with older EVs have been blindsided by the amount of technology they’ve had to replace in their cars.

Many are content with the operation of the internal motor, and the batteries which are expected to wear slightly with use over time.

The Electric Vehicle Council of Australia states the current costs for servicing an EV are about $300 to $400 cheaper than a combustion vehicle per year. 

However, when the cars require structural repairs, owners feel the pinch. 

One report by American vehicles collision technology and insights firm Mitchell found EVs were nearly 20 per cent more costly to repair following an accident than a petrol or diesel vehicle in the States.

EVs were found to be an average of $1395 AUD more expensive.

Though EV owners do save substantially more in operations costs during the year as charging stations continue to offer drivers with low fuelling costs in Australia. 

The Electric Vehicle Council of Australia says the average Australian drives around 12,000km per year and spends around $2,500 on petrol. Equating around $0.20 per km.

‘On average, an EV travelling 12,000km each year would cost around $500 to charge ($0.04/km),’ their site says.

Electric vehicle sales rose some 18 per cent in the first half of 2024, to an eight per cent share in total new-car sales.

However, the rate pf growth has waned since 2022 and 2023.