Six EV myths, checked
Battery lifespan, cold weather range, grid capacity and more — the common claims about electric cars, tested against the evidence.
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"The battery will need replacing after a few years"
Large fleet studies now show typical degradation of around 1.8% a year, and most manufacturers warrant the battery for eight years or 160,935 km to at least 70% capacity. Full battery replacement outside warranty remains rare.
"You lose half your range in winter"
Expect roughly 15–25% less range in cold weather, mostly from cabin heating. Pre-conditioning the car while it is still plugged in recovers a good chunk of that.
"There's nowhere to charge"
The UK passed 80,000 public charge points, with rapid charging growing fastest along major routes. Reliability, not raw quantity, is now the bigger frustration.
"EVs are worse for the planet once you count manufacturing"
Building an EV does produce more emissions than building a combustion car, mostly from the battery. On a typical developed-country grid, that gap is repaid within one to two years of driving, after which the EV is well ahead over its lifetime.
"The grid can't cope"
Grid operators' own modelling puts the extra demand from full EV adoption at well under a fifth of current peak capacity, and smart overnight charging shifts most of it away from peak times.
"EVs are always cheaper"
Not always — and this is the myth we take most seriously. Without home charging, on low annual distance, and with a higher purchase price and insurance premium, a combustion car can genuinely be the cheaper choice. That is exactly what our calculator is designed to tell you honestly.
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