Some new figures from the USA may go some way to dispel the myth that electric vehicles are being written off at an alarming rate, because of high repair costs. 

The Highway Loss Data Institute has reported that internal combustion engine cars in the USA were written off after 18.4% of collisions last year. This compares to just 6.1% for EVs. This is partly due to the higher base value of most EV models.  

Interestingly, the figures also cover 11 models were both petrol and EV versions of the same car are on offer, including the Hyundai Kona and Volvo XC40. The figures show that average repair cost for the EV version was just 2% higher than the ICE version. 

Overall the Highway Loss Data Institute says repair costs in general are up 30% in three years. This is mainly down to the complexity of modern vehicles and the amount of technology features that need to be replaced after an accident, such as ADAS components.  

Horror stories about EV repairs bills are never too far away on the internet, but as the US data shows, these are not really the norm. However, one area where some specialist EV car makers are falling down according to Irish repairers is in parts availability, with very long lead times for certain components, and great frustration in the amount of information on offer when it comes to parts delivery.