ADAC: Electric cars breaking down less often than combustion models

Battery-electric cars are less prone to breakdowns than combustion engines of the same age categories, according to Germany’s ADAC motoring organization.

For cars registered for the first time in the years 2020 to 2022, electric cars had 4.2 breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles in the fleet, the club’s breakdown analysis shows.

The figure for combustion engines was 10.4. This confirms earlier findings by the car club – but now on a much broader data basis in view of the growing number of electric cars.

In most cases, a faulty battery or on-board electrics were to blame for malfunctions in both types of car.

Sales of electric cars in Germany have currently stalled over a lack of buyer incentives and ongoing range anxiety, yet the ADAC says reliability was increasing rapidly.

The most reliable electric e-car overall was the Tesla Model 3 (0.5).

The ADAC notes that since internal combustion engines consist of hundreds of parts such as pistons, valves and turbochargers, the failure potential is higher.

Electric motors are made up of a much smaller number of components. Fewer parts mean fewer opportunities for wear and tear.

Electric motors also produce less waste heat than combustion engines, which operate at high temperatures and cause more wear.

In 2024, the ADAC recorded a total of more than 3.6 million call-outs, a further increase compared to 2023.