Looks like my wife made the right choice and I can see it too looking at the

[theking]

...maintenance schedule for her Leaf. Unlike the ICE autos I've owned over the years, her EV auto doesn't need much at all in terms of maintenance...  :

These cars are the cheapest to maintain over 10 years

The Nissan Leaf had shockingly low repair costs, thanks to its electric drivetrain

Buying a new car is a ton of fun, but the shine quickly fades when maintenance costs start adding up. There’s nothing worse than a hefty repair bill, and while many issues are covered by today’s vehicle warranties, there are still costs involved for many vehicle problems. Consumer Reports recently released its list of cars that cost the least to maintain over the long haul, and there aren’t many surprises among the names in the top-performing group.

The publication studied repair costs over 10 years and only listed vehicles that it recommends. Several models without 10 years of data were excluded for being too new, while others may have had cheap repair costs but lower scores in other areas. Beyond repairs, the publication cites factors like fuel economy and tire replacement costs as drivers for some of the totals we see. Consumer Reports’ list includes:

2023 Nissan Leaf: $1,190 to maintain over 10 years
2023 Toyota Camry: $2,510
2023 Lexus ES Hybrid: $3,015
2023 Toyota RAV4: $2,970
2023 Ford Edge: $3,190
2023 Lexus RX: $4,065
2023 Buick Enclave: $4,365

Vehicles were rated based on how well their 10-year repair costs compared to the averages for their segment. The three-row SUV class had an average repair total of $5,155, while the average 10-year cost for electric cars was $2,320. Electric vehicles have fewer moving parts and don’t require oil or transmission fluid changes, making them less expensive to maintain than gas-powered vehicles.

Thanks to stronger consumer protection laws, automaker warranties are longer and more comprehensive than in years past. Most offer “bumper-to-bumper” coverage for at least three years and powertrain coverage for at least five. Some, including Kia, Hyundai, and Mitsubishi, offer much longer powertrain warranties of up to 10 years or 100,000 miles. Electric vehicle battery warranties are required to be at least eight years/100,000 miles, but California extends that requirement to 10 years.

[theking]

With that said, EV's initial cost is more on average when comparing it to similar ICE models...

[theking]

Here's a couple of more models to look at:

Maintenance Costs

To calculate maintenance costs, we used AAA’s 2022 Your Driving Costs analysis. It determines how much you pay per mile in maintenance to drive a vehicle. The costs are placed into market segment silos (sedan, SUV, Pickup, EV, etc.) for service items such as tires, brakes, oil changes, and repairs over a five-year period. Yes, that’s longer than our three-year timeline, so in this case, the pre-mile figures might be inflated beyond what you would likely experience with these cars in three years. And these maintenance costs are higher than we experience in our long-term 40,000-mile tests. But AAA’s data gives us a solid basis for comparison, and all the subject cars are treated equally. As expected, without oil changes or other engine maintenance, the EVs are cheaper to maintain. Maintenance costs per mile and over the full 45,000 miles are as follows:

Hyundai Kona: $0.0984 per mile / $4,428

Hyundai Kona Electric: $0.0794 per mile / $3,573

Ford F-150: $0.0933 per mile / $4,199

Ford F-150 Lightning: $0.0794 per mile / $3,573


Energy Usage

To calculate the energy usage of both types of cars we used the EPA’s gallons and kilowatt-hours used per 100 miles. For both of these units, the lower the number, the more efficient the vehicle. As you can see below, both the Hyundais are more efficient than the F-150s, which is to be expected for the subcompact SUVs versus full-size trucks.

Hyundai Kona: 3.1 gal / 100 mi

Hyundai Kona Electric: 27 kWh / 100 mi

Ford F-150: 5.0 gal / 100 mi

Ford F-150 Lightning: 48 kWh / 100 mi


Gasoline Costs

For gasoline costs, we used the national average price of gas in September 2022: $3.70 per gallon for regular, which both the Kona and the F-150 take. As you likely know, gas prices are quite volatile these days, with inflation, the Russian Invasion, and other factors both raising the price and making future prices hard to predict. Nevertheless, the price of gas has trended downwards recently and may continue in that direction, though it’s unlikely we see pre-pandemic prices anytime soon. Still, for the sake of math, let’s assume it stays at October’s price for the foreseeable future. Here is the cost to drive the gasoline-powered Kona and F-150 for 45,000 miles.

Hyundai Kona: $5162

Ford F-150: $8325


Charging Costs

Charging costs are tougher to determine. First off, many charging stations charge per minute instead of per kilowatt-hour. This way of charging can be frustrating for EV owners. Fortunately, there are changes coming, and Electrify America, one of the largest charging station networks, charges $0.43/kWh for DC fast charging and Level 2 charging in our home-base state of Michigan. Some of Electrify America’s units can charge at a rate of up to 350 kW, but most EVs can’t accept charging that fast. Still, paying per kWh evens the playing field cost-wise between electric cars that charge slower and faster.

To determine at-home charging costs, we took the average rate of $0.1546/kWh in the United States for July 2022, the most recent rate available. Electric utility rates in the United States vary wildly. In 2020, Louisiana paid only $0.0751 per kWh while Hawaii's electric rates are a wallet-busting $0.2755 per kWh. So the price of charging at home is dictated by where you live.

Another piece of the EV charging puzzle is the split between at-home and on-the-go charging. A June 2021 study on EV consumer behavior by the Fuels Institute found that 70–80% of charging occurs at home or at a workplace parking lot. We went with an 80/20% split between home/public charging for our calculations.

We threw all these numbers on charging into a bucket to determine the amount it would take to keep the two EVs charged up enough to cover 45,000 miles.

Hyundai Kona Electric: $2548

Ford F-150 Lightning: $4529

[Hung_Low]

...maintenance schedule for her Leaf. Unlike the ICE autos I've owned over the years, her EV auto doesn't need much at all in terms of maintenance...  :

We are talking about perceived maintenance cost here... not actual.

Nissan Leaf battery replacement cost is ~ $6-7K and warranty for the battery is only 8yrs/100K miles.

[theking]

Same can apply to ICE autos as most powertrain warranty for the motor, drivetrain and tranny are only cover for 5 years.

With that said, most EV batteries will still function after the warranty expires like most ICE autos' powertrain will still function after its warranty is over.

When my wife did her research, many earlier Nissan Leaf and Tesla models still runs on the original battery with hundreds of thousands miles.

[theking]

Probably why my wife really only considered Nissan and Tesla due to their long EV history vs. other brands:

- "Steve Marsh recently crossed a new milestone of 150,000 miles (over 240,000 km) driven in his 2011 Nissan LEAF (with the original battery) in Washington state."

- "This 2018 Tesla Model 3 Passed the 300,000-Mile Mark, Here's What You Need To Know

Tesla Model Y is a relatively new model on the market, so there are few cars with high mileage to show how they cope with abuse over time. Earlier in the year, we wrote about a Model 3 with 100,000 miles. Still, a new story from Canada shows that even at more than 300,000 miles, a Tesla Model 3 can still soldier on.

[theking]

With that said, the experts have also said this about these newer EVs mixed with the OG EVs:

10 EVs That Should Last More Than 300,000 Miles
PUBLISHED APR 11, 2023
There are a few EV models that have high-reliability ratings as well as longer battery warranties and can last you well over 300,000 miles.

In today's world, electric vehicles (EVs) have become the popular option for eco-friendly transportation . Even with this, one of the biggest issues facing potential EV buyers is: "How reliable and long-lasting will my investment be?" The good news is that there are a few EV models that have high-reliability ratings as well as longer battery warranties and can last you well over 300,000 miles in their lifetime. To maximize the longevity of your EV, it's important to research models with high ratings for reliability, battery capacity/reliability, and range. Also, check the warranty offered by each manufacturer before making a purchase. A lot of warranties today cover up to 100,000 miles or eight years of use and this shows the amount of confidence the manufacturers have in the long-term reliability of their batteries. With the right combination of reliability ratings and an extended warranty period, you can rest assured that your EV will last at least 300,000 miles. While traditional gas-powered cars are known for having longer lifespans compared to EVs, it’s still important to do your research and read reviews before you buy. Doing your research upfront is sure to save you a lot of money in the long run, and these ten models are worth considering

10. Hyundai Kona Electric
9. Mini Cooper SE Electric
8. Chevrolet Bolt EUV
7. BMW i3
6. Tesla Model S
5. Volkswagen ID.4
4. Ford Mustang Mach-E
3. Nissan Leaf

"The Nissan Leaf is known for its low operating costs and down the years, many models have ended up surpassing 300,000 miles. The brand launched in Japan and the U.S. in 2010. The initial battery packs had issues with failure in hot and dry climates. These issues were unceremoniousl y corrected in the second-generation Nissan Leaf heat-resistant lithium-ion cells. They called it the "Lizard Battery". Compared to other manufacturers, Nissan has retrieved a very low number of the Leaf batteries from their cars on the road for failures or warranty-period changes. With minimal changes, it means the first generation Nissan Leaf batteries of 2010 would have run at least 160,000+ miles on regular usage and possibly into the 300- to 500,000 range with taxis and ride-hailing services."


2. Tesla Model 3

"The Tesla Model 3 is up there as one of the most reliable and longest-lasting electric vehicles (EVs) on the market today. Tesla Model 3 battery degradation from 100,000 miles, which comes down to between five and eight years of usage, is typically under 10 percent. This means a usable range of about 90+ percent of the original capacity even after the warranty period is over. The battery is expected to lose a maximum of three percent of range per year from then. The Model 3, like the Model Y, has a battery warranty of eight years or 120,000 miles, whichever comes first. Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, personally tweeted that the battery pack of the Model 3 and Model Y would last 1,500 charging cycles. This is roughly 300,000 miles. The 2170 battery Tesla employed in the Model 3 is the same employed in the Model Y."


1. Kia EV6