The TRUE COST Of Fixing An Electric Car Battery | High Mileage Tesla [Episode 5]

How much does it cost to replace the battery in an electric car? Rory finds out.

Looking for your next car? Auto Trader will help make finding your next vehicle easier than ever. Compare expert car reviews and recommendations, and find your perfect car through our official YouTube channel.

Check back for the latest new car reviews on everything from SUVs to supercars, plus
✅ the latest car reviews
✅ car advice and explainers
✅ used and new car guides
✅ head-to-heads

Want to be the first to see our new videos? Enable notifications

Looking for more inspiration? 🚗

Auto Trader Limited (Firm Reference Number: 735711) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and is a credit broker and not a lender. Contract Hire is subject to status and approval and is only available to UK residents aged 18 and over. Vehicle must be returned in good condition to avoid further charges. You will not own the vehicle. Excess mileage charges and return conditions apply.

[DavidSmith-rktf]

That was really insightful. In fact Kevin blew me away with his great explanation of EV repair. We need way more straight talking highly knowledgeable EV mechanics out there to give people confidence that EVs aren't a scary black box of failures, there is a real lack of knowledge, even in the car community. In fact give that man a job, he needs an Autotrader slot to get the world up to speed on EV repair and whats happening in the real world, far away from the fake world of dealers, company cars and warranty. Dude was a legend!

[mys]

This, is why you're the best Rory. Direct and precise information from a professional mechanic in basic and layman terms. Big up.

[dmc]

Props to the Porsche dealership recommending these guys for the customer. Fairplay to them

[Greatpics]

I got a used 2021 Tesla model 3 for $17k last month. Three weeks later, battery failed. Car had 65k miles. Tesla replaced it with a brand new 2024 LFP battery and it gave me 100 more miles than the car I bought. They gave me new upgraded suspensions and tire alignment. I did not have to pay a dime. I can now enjoy traveling much farther distances.

[TSM]

Fantastic series Rory. It’s done a lot to discredit a lot of the misconceptions around EVs.

I’d have more faith in a 200k mile EV than a 200k mile ICE car.

[FreekHoekstra]

What would be awesome, is, if you could not just replace the battery, but when you do so upgrade it.
Imagine taking a 60 kWh car to 85 kWh because of new battery technology.
It’s like an engine swap for your car, but better :)

[TheMadmax]

I hope this video enlightens a lot of people who were scared to buy electric. I've had electric for 4 years and I absolutely love it.

[barneyrubble]

Facts are that most dealerships dont have the facilities or staff training to deal with EV battery repairs or finance installing all the necessary safety kit so they go for a full battery swap.

[jonathonedwards]

£5200 is better than £14000 but it doesn’t stop the fact you can buy a whole used ICE car in good shape for that money

[jolive]

10 year old Prius taxi drivers do not take them to Toyota, they take them to a backstreet garage, every town has one. This will be where we will take evs that are out of warranty

[funkymonkey]

I like this dude. Nice to know we still have independent experts around in the UK.

[NumptyBumpty-wj]

How many ordinary people can afford £5000 repair on a car? Get real.

[TM-jvfb]

This battery replacement argument is foolish. Have you all priced out an engine replacement on a 50k car? My Audi is about 25k to replace.

[davidjack]

Really interesting video. Having just dipped my toes in with a plug in hybrid im really enjoying driving on ev for most of our driving. Not to mention im already saving a fortune on fuel. I was blown away that a tesla is still performing strongly at such high mileage.

[madmcadder]

What worries me even more is the hybrid vehicles. Effectively you have double trouble and ICE engine and a battery to maintain .😮

[riccotube]

Remember, most manufacturers offer 8 years 100, 000 miles warranty.

[tristansherratt]

Seen this car pottering about in its home town of Chesterfield today - nice to see it on the road after watching this series 👌🏻

[anthonybatchelor]

I don’t think in 40 years of driving I’ve done 430000 miles. So at 70 years of age I’m never going to wear out my Tesla model Y.

[deaks]

So the conclusion for this video: An independent specialist is going to be cheaper than going to a main dealer. So business as usual then.
And when it comes to battery replacements, I try to keep in mind that the battery is the equivalent to an ICE's engine; ie the component that generates the motive power for the final drive. A replacement engine is always the big ticket item in an ICE so I'm going to guess the prices are going to be similar.

[koko]

You all also have to consider the fact that year-to-year maintenance for an EV is drastically reduced, especially if you avoid going to the dealership out of warranty. The small costs of ICE vehicles adds up over time too, you just don't think about it. My 20 year old grand Cherokee drove fine and was fairly reliable, but I still spent plenty of money across the board with replacement parts and my car was one of the cheaper cars to source and repair. It may not break even because of battery costs but for the insane repairs for all new cars, its better than you think.