A new analysis of warranty repair requests in the UK shows that the most expensive common repair on a used electric vehicle is not the high-voltage battery, but the on-board charger.
The study, conducted by Warrantywise, found that while many used EV buyers worry about the health of the main battery pack, it does not appear among the top five most frequent faults.
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Top EV Faults: Electrical and Suspension Issues Dominate
General electrical faults, including sensors and central locking systems, topped the list.
Average repair costs for these ranged from £810 ($1,085) to £900 ($1,205), with some individual claims exceeding £4,000 ($5,350).
Suspension components, particularly wishbones, also featured prominently.
Average repair requests surpassed £1,200 ($1,600), and the largest claim reached over £4,100 ($5,490).
The added weight of an EV's battery pack puts extra stress on suspension parts.
The only EV-specific component in the top five was the on-board charger.
Its average repair cost was £2,160 ($2,890), but the most expensive single claim hit £10,455 ($14,000).
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The humble 12-volt auxiliary battery also made the list, with average repairs costing £535 ($716) and the highest claim at £990 ($1,325).
Battery Problems Overblown
The high-voltage traction battery did not rank among the top five faults.
When battery failures did occur, average repair requests exceeded £6,400 ($8,570), but such incidents were comparatively rare.
Warrantywise noted that EV batteries are often more robust than perceived and typically have longer factory warranty coverage than other components.
The data also showed that average EV repair request values increased by 10.7 percent between 2024 and 2025, likely due to inflation, labor costs, and parts prices rather than worsening reliability.
The findings are based on vehicles covered under Warrantywise policies and may not represent all EVs on the road.
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Nevertheless, they suggest that the expensive battery pack is not the financial time bomb many buyers fear.
