How Long Do EV Batteries Last? New Research Suggests It's Way Longer Than You Might Think

For many EV-curious buyers, the fear of spending thousands on a battery replacement at some point could understandably keep them from going electric. But a study done in March by Recurrent, a Seattle-based company that analyzes used electric car batteries, shows this is much less likely to happen than you might think. It's certainly not something every EV owner should plan on doing.

Recurrent analyzed real-world telematics data from 15,000 EVs of various makes and models. As those vehicles cruised around various parts of the US, Recurrent took daily readings of the charging activity, battery percentage, and estimated range.

How Long Do EV Batteries Last?

Of the 15,000 vehicles, only 1.5% had been replaced. This excludes major battery recalls, such as the Chevy Bolt and Hyundai Kona. "So far, it seems that EV batteries have much longer lifespans than anyone imagined, since very few of them have been replaced," the study says.

The models with the highest rate of normal replacements were the Nissan Leaf (around 5%) and Tesla Model S (less than 5%). This is perhaps unsurprising, as they are some of the oldest on the market and in the fleet Recurrent tested.

Electric vehicles typically come with a standard battery warranty, between eight and 12 years, plus a certain number of miles. Recurrent found that most drivers were not replacing their batteries even after those warranties expired.

The oldest models in the study have the highest percentage of battery replacements, at about 5% for those that have been on the road for nine to 12 years, according to the graph below. Twelve years is the current average lifespan for gas-powered cars in the US, according to Progressive.

This suggests a battery replacement could come at a natural time to consider buying a new vehicle or replacing the battery on the current one, not as an unfortunate surprise just a few years into ownership.

However, the study also found unusual spikes in non-recall-related battery replacements that suggest it could be related to the unique technology used in each model.

• 2013 Tesla Model S (8.5%)

• 2014 Tesla Model S (7.3%)

• 2015 Tesla Model S (3.5%)

• 2011 Nissan LEAF (8.3%)

• 2012 Nissan LEAF (3.5%)

Do EVs Lose Range Over Time?

Batteries become less efficient at storing and dispensing energy over time, leading to less range. How steep that drop-off is depends on the driver's habits and weather conditions, among countless other factors unique to each vehicle.

For the Tesla Model S, the expensive, 100-kWh battery degrades faster than the lower cost 85- and 70-kWh options.

The battery in the BMW i3 has held up fairly well. "The smallest, a 22 kWh pack, was released in the US in 2014. The 33 kWh packs were introduced in 2017," the study says. "Both have, on average, hit 100,000 miles with around 80% of original capacity remaining."

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While it may take a few more decades to fully understand EV battery behavior across models and geographies, this initial data is promising. Plus, a battery's journey doesn't always end once it leaves its original vehicle. It can be recycled and its minerals extracted for a new battery, a process that occurs without any degradation in performance.

Some people even use EV batteries to power their homes, acting as mobile generators. General Motors has opened an entire division of their company to build this out, essentially turning it into an energy company.

But for now, this study suggests most packs are still cruising along.

"Almost all of the batteries we’ve ever made are still in cars, and we’ve been selling electric cars for 12 years," says Nic Thomas, marketing director for Nissan. "We haven’t got a great big stock of batteries that we can convert into something else.” That "something" else could be a corporate fleet vehicle with a specific, low-range use, for example.