We’re nonetheless within the throes of transitioning away from a majority of combustion engine-powered automobiles globally, which suggests questions proceed to abound about switching to electrical automobiles (EV), and what kind of longevity we will anticipate from them.
Canada-based Geotab, which makes fleet administration software program for logistics firms, authorities companies, and good cities, has been analyzing battery degradation in light-duty EVs since 2020. In its newest research, it checked out aggregated real-world battery well being knowledge from greater than 22,700 electrical automobiles throughout 21 makes and fashions.
The 2025 study revealed a modest common battery degradation charge of two.3% per yr, which isn’t dangerous in any respect. The agency says this works out to a battery lifespan of 13 years or extra.
Meaning after a substantial period of time – greater than a dozen years – on the street, you may anticipate an EV’s battery to nonetheless have nearly 75% of its battery capability. That is not dangerous, particularly when you think about {that a} 2024 research by auto insurance coverage agency The Zebra discovered that people in the US own their longest-kept cars for an average of about eight years. For its half, Geotab concludes this makes EVs a viable possibility to be used in fleets, and for particular person homeowners.
Geotab famous that its knowledge confirmed that battery degradation charges assorted by mannequin, charging habits, ambient local weather, and automobile utilization patterns. Utilizing DC quick chargers so as to add lots of of miles of vary in a matter of minutes tends to speed up battery degradation greater than slower Degree 2 AC charging, as they elevate battery temperatures in the course of the charging course of.
Apparently, the agency’s 2024 study noted a lower average degradation rate of 1.8% per yr. Geotab ascribed this to a bigger dataset for its newer report, together with a rise in the usage of quick charging in its surveyed automobiles by way of 2025.
Coupled with analysis exhibiting that they start reducing their carbon footprint within just two years, this positive makes EVs seem like a better option than gas-powered automobiles from an environmental standpoint. We’re additionally beginning to see semi-solid-state batteries enter the fray, which promise longer lifespans. That would allow electrical automobiles to remain on the street for extra miles and hopefully maintain their resale worth over an extended interval too.
Try extra particulars from the research on Geotab’s site.
Supply: Geotab
