Tesla electric cars cost 25 per cent more to repair than petrol, diesel vehicles – report

A US car repair specialist claims Tesla’s electric vehicles cost almost 25 per cent more to fix after a crash compared to an average petrol or diesel car – and approximately 20 per cent more than battery-powered models from rival brands.

Automotive News reports US repair firm Mitchell – which provides software to manage collision repairs for almost 25 per cent of smash repairers in the US – found Tesla electric cars are among the most expensive passenger vehicles to repair, owing to their technologically complex systems.

The report comes in the same week a Scottish couple were handed a £17,374 ($AU33,430) bill to repair their Tesla Model Y’s battery pack, which was damaged “due to water ingress” – a claim which the car-maker said was caused due to the electric car being driven in wet weather.

Mitchell’s data shows the average cost to repair a Tesla is $US5552 (approximately $AU8785), whereas a non-Tesla electric car costs $US4474 ($AU7080) – about 20 per cent less.

Traditional petrol and diesel-powered vehicles are cheaper still, with an average cost to repair of $US4205 ($AU6650) – or 24 per cent less than a Tesla, but only six per cent cheaper than electric cars from Tesla’s rivals.

According to Ryan Mandell, Mitchell’s director of claims for physically damaged cars, the complex technology systems in Tesla’s vehicles are a contributing factor of its relatively high repair costs.

“These vehicles are on the cutting edge of all this safety technology and this digital connected-car technology, and all of that is going to play a role when these vehicles are involved in a collision,” Mr Mandell told Automotive News.

“You could have a left-front corner impact that somehow has disrupted your right rear lane-departure warning sensor. Maybe that part needs to be replaced, maybe it needs to be recalibrated.”

“When you look at the average number of parts being replaced, it's increasing every year. You look at the frequency of calibration work — that's increasing by the day. 

“You look at the number of parts that are other than mild steel, that increases continually. All of these trends are leading us toward more expensive collision repair.”

Another unexpected labour cost from electric vehicles is the time required for the battery pack to be isolated, which can involve the pack being removed completely from a damaged vehicle.

While the average cost to repair a Tesla is high, Mr Mandell said electric models from niche car-makers such as Rivian, Lucid and Polestar can exceed $US8000 ($AU15,400).

These high prices to repair electric cars have an effect on insurance costs, with Automotive News reporting a 2022 Model Year Tesla is 74 per cent more expensive to insure than the market average – citing data from Quadrant Information Services.

Despite the cost to repair electric vehicles currently sitting higher than petrol and diesel models, the average price to fix a battery-powered car has fallen by 11 per cent in the past year – and continues to drop.

Mr Mandell believes car-makers will continue to develop their vehicle platforms to reduce repair times and costs, in an effort to keep customers satisfied by having their damaged vehicles off the road for less time.

“As new vehicles come into the marketplace and are getting repaired in real life, you start to run into real challenges,” Mr Mandell said. 

“As those challenges are addressed and brought to the manufacturer's attention, you'll start to see changes in engineering based on that real-world feedback.”