With the cost of gas creeping ever higher, more and more people are considering electric cars. They’re thought to be a better choice for the environment, but what are the true costs of ownership when selecting an electric vehicle. Because we’re a Lakeville auto body shop, the area of interest most relevant to us was obviously collision repairs. Here’s what we found out.
CCC Intelligent Solutions is one of the big software companies in the automotive repair world. They connect insurance companies with repair shops, and help facilitate payments and things like that. They did an analysis of the cost of electric car collision repairs versus gas powered car collision repairs. Their conclusion: Auto body repairs to late-model electric vehicles after minor collisions cost about 3% more than for gasoline cars, even though less time is required for the work.
What contributes to the greater cost? Long story short: the cost of parts. There’s the current issue of pandemic delays and scarcity issues that’s impacting the entire industry, as well as electric car specific issues such as a lack of aftermarket parts and the parts themselves just costing more.
Another factor: not all auto repair technicians are equally prepared to service electric cars. This means, in the report’s own words, “In many ways EV’s are the poster child for growing vehicle complexity, with vehicle repairs requiring more time spent by technicians performing scans and calibrations and researching repair methods.”
Now, it’s up to you to decide how comfortable you are having technicians learn on the job while they’re fixing your car. But for many car owners, there’s great peace of mind that comes with choosing a Lakeville auto body shop where the technicians are all highly certified and required to keep current with the skills needed to service all types of automobiles.
