Here we are looking at regular maintenance of Electric Vehicles (EVs), rather than the costs of medium/big repairs. We are also looking at EVs rather than Hybrid vehicles, which are pretty much the same as Internal combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles when it comes to maintenance.
Unlike an internal combustion engine, the system that powers EVs don't have hundreds (or thousands) of moving parts to keep in working order, and the battery, electric motors themselves, and associated heavy duty electrics are unlikely to require any attention. Additionally, something that will come to the relief of many is that there are no water pumps and cambelts that need replacing. Finally, there's no need for oil, oil filters, and there isn't the need for an engine air filter as there is no air being drawn into the engine.
When it comes to cooling, which EV vehicles still need but to a significantly lesser extent, there are a few methods used. One of these is to use an air cooled system, the other is to use liquid cooling. Unlike ICE vehicles however, cooling is provided by a simple cooling loop that typically needs nothing much more than topping up the coolant when serviced.
With those out of the way, what you are left with are all the things you would have in a regular car. Tyres, steering, and suspension remains the same, as do air conditioning, wipers, headlights, and other electrics. There are however a few differences when it comes to brakes. Regenerative braking reduces the wear on discs and pads, but does take on quite a lot of work and will need regular brake fluid changes. Equally, do to the instantaneous method of power delivery, tyres also do a bit more work than with a standard ICE vehicle, and may need more regular changing.
Now, going back to batteries, and more to the point, their lifespan, which is a natural concern. The most basic warranty from Tesla for the Model 3 is 8 years or 160,000 km, whichever comes first, and the same goes for the Nissan Leaf. Those warranties cover the battery for 70% charge and 75% charge respectively. The question would be are these a ticking time-bomb, if in 8 years time an EV has a $5k+ bill hanging over it. Looking at Trademe it appears that EVs aren't being priced accordingly.
