New cars and trucks are packed with sensors and technology that protect and pamper drivers and passengers. But those features are also raising the cost of repairs after accidents.
Industry experts have been particularly focused on the cost of repairing electric cars and trucks, which aren’t built like gasoline cars and have different parts. In addition, many mechanics aren’t trained to work on them. In recent months, news reports and stories shared on social media about astronomical repair bills for electric cars and trucks have captured the attention of car enthusiasts.
Some of the cost probably also had to do with Rivian’s small size and youth. Like other auto startups, the company, which is based in Irvine, California, and delivered its first vehicles to customers in 2021, does not sell through franchised dealers and has had to build an independent repair network from scratch.
Auto experts acknowledge that repairing electric models is more expensive on average than repairing gasoline vehicles. But a fuller analysis of claims and repair data shows that electric vehicle repair costs are not markedly higher than costs for gasoline cars of similar age and price, and that they’re sometimes less.
Fixing electric vehicles from mainstream brands such as Hyundai or Nissan costs only about $800 more than their gasoline counterparts, according to Mitchell. And in the premium segment, typical repair costs for battery-powered and gasoline vehicles are roughly the same, around $7,000, for model years 2018 and later.
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