The average cost of an electric car battery in 2021 was c.£87 per kWh. While this is still expensive, it is much lower than in 2010 when an electric car battery cost c.£763 per kWh.
Unfortunately, this does make an electric car battery replacement a very expensive job. As of March 2023, the average electric car battery costs £5,378.43 in the UK (estimated).
The following figures are based on the average figure of £87 per kWh. We have only calculated the cost for the smallest available battery on the standard model of every car. All figures correct as of March 2023 and are sourced from the manufacturer’s website.
Prices do not include removing the old battery or fitting the new one. This will mean your electric car battery replacement cost is higher. The number in the brackets represents the size of the battery in kWh.
Lithium-ion batteries are used in electric vehicles. These are the same kind of batteries you might have in your smartphone or your laptop.
They run on the principle of circulating electrons. Two electrodes, one negative, and one positive, sit in a conductive ionic liquid called the electrolyte. They circulate the electrons between them, which powers the battery and allows it to power the vehicle. You can read more about electric car batteries here.
EV batteries are still developing at a rapid pace. Capacity and range are much higher than the first all-electric models and Research and Development is still ongoing to improve them further. However, they are also still very expensive to build - a cost that gets passed on to the consumer.
Secondly, there are a limited number of companies that make these batteries. In the second half of 2020, 6 companies produced 85% of the lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars. Limited supply, high demand and expensive mining and manufacturing costs make EV batteries expensive to buy. As manufacturers don't want to make a loss on their cars, this cost is passed on to the customer.
Naturally, paying several thousand pounds for a replacement battery isn’t ideal. While our figures quoted above give a good estimate of how much a battery costs, they are not official figures. They also don't include labour costs. This means your EV battery replacement cost will be even higher.
To keep the cost as low as possible, we recommend sticking to a strict service schedule and comparing deals when you need a battery replacement. That way, you keep your car in top condition and also avoid unnecessary expenses.
You can repair an electric car battery rather than replace the whole thing. Sometimes, if it is just one singular module that is defective, a specialist would be able to replace the module. Due to the design of an electric car battery, it is easy to identify which module is causing the issue and replace it where necessary.
Fortunately, electric car batteries are built to last. Most new cars come with an 8-year or 100,000 mile battery warranty for your peace of mind. This means that the manufacturer will cover the replacement cost if there is a mechanical fault within this timeframe.
They also guarantee their batteries will hold around 70% of their total capacity after 8 years. At 70% capacity, an electric car is still very usable, so you may not need a replacement battery for ten years or more. The exception is if you own a small EV that has a low range to begin with.
However, the technology is still constantly evolving, so we may reach a point where the batteries outlive the vehicles.
As we mentioned, you may never need to replace an electric car battery. Find out more about how long they last in this article.
If you own an electric car, you can find out more about your servicing requirements here. You can also book a service at a specialist electric car service centre near you.
Maintaining an electric car battery is only one part of EV ownership. If you’re looking to buy an electric car, you need to know how much you will spend on insurance, servicing, road tax and charging. Find out more in this article.