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All good points! However one thing EVs have is much cheaper maintenance! Having no oil changes adds up in savings.

carcostthrow 5y ago
Already factored into the $200/yr maintenance. Oil changes at dealerships nowadays are essentially loss leaders for them; $75 to $80 for full synthetic change, oil filter replacement and windshield wiper fluid top off, and most include shuttle service nowadays to and from the dealership itself. Only other items that are ICE specific I can think of off the top of my head is engine air filter and fluid changes for the transmission and transfer case. Most of the other maintenance is the same AFAIK. Like I said though, the insurance difference for me kills whatever savings there are from lack of oil changes by a wide margin, even before factoring in higher upfront.
- thioordc 5y ago
  Yep yep that insurance rate is nasty! I just think it’s interesting that oil changes are slowly disappearing!
Hamuko 5y ago
Oil changes are pretty much the least costly part of my car's maintenance. Brakes, suspension and tyres cost far more and I can't imagine that heavy EVs are any better on any of those.
- adrianN 5y ago
  Regenerative braking means that your regular brakes are used much less.
  - Hamuko 5y ago
    Not using your brakes isn't actually that good for the brake discs, since they can rust with the lack of use.
  - frosted-flakes 5y ago
    No less than with a manual transmission car. I went 5 years before replacing the pads on my last car, with 150k km driven—not because they were worn, but because they were falling apart.
    - adrianN 5y ago
      I haven't driven an EV yet, but from what I hear regenerative breaking is much stronger than engine breaking with a manual car and can essentially bring the car to a stop in city traffic.
      - frosted-flakes 5y ago
        I drive a diesel. Back when I had a regular freeway commute, I would regularly come to a complete stop at the end of freeway exits without touching the brake pedal, just for fun (last few km/h I used the handbrake). And one time when I was randomly pushing a little too hard on the brake pedal when I was parked, I burst a brake line somehow, and I ended up driving 20+ miles to my mechanic on busy city streets with no brakes, safely. I doubt regenerative braking is any stronger than that.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
chrisseaton 5y ago
> Having no oil changes adds up in savings. You probably don’t need to change your oil as often as you are, if it’s registering as an expense at all. Check what the manufacturer actually says - for example my manufacturer says don’t bother changing for two years. Lots of Americans driving the exact same cars change their oil every three months for no reason.
- watt 5y ago
  Actually this is exactly about expenses you are not consciously "registering", but they are real, and they add up. A daily coffee is not "registering" as well, but it's massive amount of money if you consider how much you spent in a year.
  - aix1 5y ago
    Would you mind quantifying how the coffee argument applies to this discussion, which is about oil change? For example, here in the UK the average cost of oil and filter change (if you pay someone to do it rather than doing it yourself) is £102 [1]. Done every other year, this amounts to £51 p.a., which is less than a typical tank of fuel [2]. [1] https://www.fixter.co.uk/blog/how-much-is-an-oil-and-filter-change-cost/ https://www.fixter.co.uk/blog/how-much-is-an-oil-and-filter-... [2] https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/full-tank-of-fuel-now-costs-nearly-5-more-than-in-late-2020-after-yet-anoth/ https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/full-tank-of-...
  - chrisseaton 5y ago
    > but they are real, and they add up But that was the point - the requirement to change your oil that often is not real, and so it does not add up.
- BenjiWiebe 5y ago
  Also, check what the oil manufacturer says. Some oils will last longer than others.

Already factored into the $200/yr maintenance. Oil changes at dealerships nowadays are essentially loss leaders for them; $75 to $80 for full synthetic change, oil filter replacement and windshield wiper fluid top off, and most include shuttle service nowadays to and from the dealership itself. Only other items that are ICE specific I can think of off the top of my head is engine air filter and fluid changes for the transmission and transfer case. Most of the other maintenance is the same AFAIK. Like I said though, the insurance difference for me kills whatever savings there are from lack of oil changes by a wide margin, even before factoring in higher upfront.

thioordc 5y ago
Yep yep that insurance rate is nasty! I just think it’s interesting that oil changes are slowly disappearing!

Hamuko 5y ago

Oil changes are pretty much the least costly part of my car's maintenance. Brakes, suspension and tyres cost far more and I can't imagine that heavy EVs are any better on any of those.

adrianN 5y ago
Regenerative braking means that your regular brakes are used much less.
- Hamuko 5y ago
  Not using your brakes isn't actually that good for the brake discs, since they can rust with the lack of use.
- frosted-flakes 5y ago
  No less than with a manual transmission car. I went 5 years before replacing the pads on my last car, with 150k km driven—not because they were worn, but because they were falling apart.
  - adrianN 5y ago
    I haven't driven an EV yet, but from what I hear regenerative breaking is much stronger than engine breaking with a manual car and can essentially bring the car to a stop in city traffic.
    - frosted-flakes 5y ago
      I drive a diesel. Back when I had a regular freeway commute, I would regularly come to a complete stop at the end of freeway exits without touching the brake pedal, just for fun (last few km/h I used the handbrake). And one time when I was randomly pushing a little too hard on the brake pedal when I was parked, I burst a brake line somehow, and I ended up driving 20+ miles to my mechanic on busy city streets with no brakes, safely. I doubt regenerative braking is any stronger than that.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

chrisseaton 5y ago

> Having no oil changes adds up in savings. You probably don’t need to change your oil as often as you are, if it’s registering as an expense at all. Check what the manufacturer actually says - for example my manufacturer says don’t bother changing for two years. Lots of Americans driving the exact same cars change their oil every three months for no reason.

watt 5y ago
Actually this is exactly about expenses you are not consciously "registering", but they are real, and they add up. A daily coffee is not "registering" as well, but it's massive amount of money if you consider how much you spent in a year.
- aix1 5y ago
  Would you mind quantifying how the coffee argument applies to this discussion, which is about oil change? For example, here in the UK the average cost of oil and filter change (if you pay someone to do it rather than doing it yourself) is £102 [1]. Done every other year, this amounts to £51 p.a., which is less than a typical tank of fuel [2]. [1] https://www.fixter.co.uk/blog/how-much-is-an-oil-and-filter-change-cost/ https://www.fixter.co.uk/blog/how-much-is-an-oil-and-filter-... [2] https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/full-tank-of-fuel-now-costs-nearly-5-more-than-in-late-2020-after-yet-anoth/ https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/full-tank-of-...
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  > but they are real, and they add up But that was the point - the requirement to change your oil that often is not real, and so it does not add up.
BenjiWiebe 5y ago
Also, check what the oil manufacturer says. Some oils will last longer than others.