As electric vehicles (EVs) become increasingly popular, and they begin to get older in terms of age and covering more kilometres, then they will increasingly require more maintenance, servicing and repairs.

It’s a common myth that EVs require no servicing at all because they lack for an engine or gearbox. But there are still systems and components on zero-emission cars that require constant upkeep.

Once EVs reach a certain age, it might not be economical to keep taking them to a main dealer for servicing – but is it easy enough to get them checked over elsewhere? Can you even service them yourself? Here are some answers to the key questions on EV maintenance in the long term.

How often should an EV be serviced?

This will depend on the make and model, as with combustion-powered (petrol and diesel) cars. It is true that EVs tend to have longer service intervals – where internal-combustion-engined vehicles can need upkeep annually, or every 15,000km, some EVs on fixed routines can often only need maintenance every two years, or 30,000km. However, check that schedule carefully: for example, Volkswagen’s ID.3 is on a 30,000km schedule and only needs its first service after 24 months, but after that it switches to an annual cycle (with the same interim distance cap).

Some EVs, as with some combustion cars, have condition-based servicing and will have an onboard computer which tells its owner when it needs maintenance. This will vary according to the usage patterns of the vehicle in question and the distance covered, but it won’t differ by much from service to service.

What is checked during an EV service?

It might not have an engine and a gearbox, and all the associated oils and coolants that such mechanical components entail, but there are still items on an EV that will deteriorate over time and which need regular check-ups. For example, the tyres, brake pads and brake fluid, wiper blades and the climate control system (including air filters serving the passenger compartment) are all items you’d find on a combustion car, and an EV can take a toll on all of them – maybe even more so, in the case of tyres, as EVs tend to be heavier like-for-like than equivalent combustion cars.

Alongside that, there are items such as suspension and the battery coolant that will require specialist attention, so don’t think that a zero-emission machine is in fact zero-maintenance, because it’s far from it.

Is specialist training required to service an EV, or can any mechanic do it?

EVs are high-voltage machines with specialised equipment onboard, and not any old spanner-wielding person can have a go at them. This is why main dealers affiliated to car manufacturers tend to be the main port of call for servicing requirements at the moment, because they will have trained their service workforce to be ready to look after the EVs that they are selling as new cars.

But smaller, independent EV specialists are thin on the ground – yet, as the EV fleet grows and ages, we’re going to need more of them in Ireland to help spread the maintenance load. The right training and specific tools are required to work on an EV, and not all third-party garages will want to invest significantly in either if the number of EVs they’re looking after only represents a small fraction of their business.

So, could I service an EV myself if I feel handy enough to do it?

We’d highly advise against this, with the greatest respect to the mechanical skills of a given member of the public. As we’ve already said, highly specialised tools are needed to work safely on EVs, not to mention the right protection from the high-voltage components onboard. You can, of course, check the easy stuff – the wiper blades, the tyres, the lights and so on – but we would be cautious about getting any more involved with the inner workings of an EV that that.

Is it expensive to service an EV, or cheaper than a petrol/diesel car?

Despite the specialist training needed, it should be cheaper to look after an EV than it is a similar petrol or diesel vehicle. This is because of a point we made earlier: there are far fewer moving parts on an EV, like the engine and gearbox, and all their associated systems and vital fluids, which can go wrong or which will wear out. When you’re not worried about cambelts or timing chains and the like, the list of things that are likely to go wrong on an EV at great expense becomes ever shorter.

Obviously, with the training and special tools, main garages can look to offset their investment costs on such things by raising EV service fees, but that will only be a marginal increase in the short term – and as more EVs come through the doors, said costs will reduce again. Anyway, taking everything into account, the rough rule of thumb is that, for the first three years of ownership at least, an EV is about 25 to 30 per cent cheaper to maintain than a combustion-powered car.

And is it cheaper to replace parts on an EV in the event of an accident or damage?

Ah. No, what few components an EV does possess can often be more expensive to replace – especially the big high-voltage battery packs and electric motors that propel them down the road. They often feature expensive and lightweight materials, too, which mitigate their overall kerb weight, which’ll be even more cash if they’re pranged. So, while they’re about 25-30 per cent cheaper to maintain than combustion vehicles in normal usage, if they get unexpectedly damaged, they can be something like 25-30 per cent more expensive to repair in the event of an insurance claim. This can, in some instances, lead to elevated insurance premiums as well.

Are there any good independent EV specialists in Ireland?

One of the most highly regarded is the EV Repair Centre in Dublin 12, which is brand-agnostic (as in, whatever make of EV you have, it can be checked over there) and has good reviews. But being in Dublin, it’s not ideal for everyone in Ireland.

Both Modern Tyres and Bosch Car Service have a network of sites across Ireland, with specially trained EV mechanics and diagnostic equipment at various locations.