The Priciest Repair On A Used EV Isn’t The Battery

A new analysis of warranty repair requests by Warrantywise in the UK reveals that used EV owners are more likely to encounter ordinary mechanical and electrical faults rather than expensive battery failures. The study found that the top five EV faults include general electrical faults, suspension wear, and issues with the 12-volt battery, with the on-board charger being the only EV-specific component to make the list. The average repair cost for an on-board charger was £2,160 ($2,890), with the largest single claim reaching £10,455 ($14,000). In contrast, high-voltage battery failures were relatively rare and did not make the top five list, with average repair requests exceeding £6,400 ($8,570) when they did occur. The data suggests that EV batteries may be more robust than many people think, and that other components are more likely to cause reliability headaches for used EV owners. The study also found that average EV repair request values increased by 10.7 percent between 2024 and 2025, likely due to inflation, labor costs, and parts prices. Overall, the results suggest that the high-voltage battery may not be the expensive repair bill that many used EV buyers fear.