EV maintenance, and what you still have to do

An all-electric car needs less maintenance than a gas car, because it has fewer moving parts and fewer fluids to change. It still needs some care, and a few of the jobs are different.

What goes away

There's no engine oil to change. The battery, the motor and the electronics around them usually need little scheduled maintenance.

What lasts longer

The brakes wear more slowly, because regenerative braking does much of the work of slowing the car. Have them inspected on the schedule in the owner's manual all the same.

What you still have to do

• Battery coolant. Some batteries are cooled by liquid, and that coolant may need regular checks. The owner's manual or the dealer will tell you whether yours does and how often.
• Tires. Check the pressure once a month with a gauge, while the tires are cold.
• The rest of the schedule. Cabin air filters, wiper blades and the other routine items are in the maintenance table in the owner's manual.

The battery and its warranty

A battery can be charged only so many times, and it will wear out eventually. Many makers cover EV batteries for 8 years or 100,000 miles. The exact terms are in the papers that came with the car. Ask the dealer about the maker's battery recycling policy too.

Leave high voltage to a technician

EV systems usually run at 400 to 1,000 volts. The high-voltage cables are usually orange. The car has safety systems that shut off or isolate the high-voltage system in a crash, but that doesn't make it safe to work on. Don't touch anything orange under the hood or under the car. That work is for a trained technician.

An annotated example

What to do next

Find the battery warranty in the car's papers and write down its years and miles, with the date the car was first sold. Look in the owner's manual for battery coolant checks and how often they're due. Set a monthly reminder to check the tires.