Latest news with #JakobPfaudler
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
EVs ‘more likely to break down and leave drivers stranded than petrol or diesel cars,' damning report reveals
Costs for their repairs could be lower though ELECTRIC SHOCK EVs 'more likely to break down and leave drivers stranded than petrol or diesel cars,' damning report reveals ELECTRIC vehicles are reported to be more likely to breakdown on the road than cars with petrol or diesel engines, according to research. A survey of nearly 30,000 drivers looked into their experiences with breakdowns over the past two years. 3 The survey found 16.8 per cent of battery car drivers experienced a break down recently Credit: PA 3 This compares to 10.7 per cent of petrol car owners who reported a break down. Credit: PA The Reliability Survey conducted by What Car? in association with MotorEasy looked at a comparison of petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric cars in terms of whether they were likely to break down, as well as be fixed or towed. Overall, 11% of respondents of the survey had suffered a fault in the last 24 months that made it undriveable. A similar figure of 10.7 per cent of petrol car owners reported a break down in this time, which is a significantly lower rate than batter car owners. Hybrid and diesel cars were also at a lower rate, at 14.1 per cent and 15.4 per cent respectively. Results of the survey come just days after the boss of AA reported attending a higher proportion of electric car breakdowns. In 40.6 per cent of these break downs, the EVs had to be towed from the roadside to a garage. However, only 29.6 per cent per cent of petrol cars required this. CEO of the breakdown service provider, Jakob Pfaudler, added EVs are prone to not only punctures, flat batteries, but also jammed charging cables and technical glitches. He claimed EV breakdowns are more common despite the "idea "common misconception" that they are more reliable than internal combustion engine cars due to having fewer moving parts. On top of that, the report found there was only a one in four chance EV drivers would have their cars permanently fixed by a breakdown company after being stranded on the road. This is in comparison to two in five petrol car owners who were able to get back on the road after calling out roadside assistance. The Sun's Motors Editor Rob Gill takes the new electric Renault 5 for a spin As a result, EVs were the most commonly transported vehicles taken to garages for repairs, as they cannot be towed. They are unable to be towed due rotation of their driven wheels risking of damage to their e-motors. Edmund King, president of AA, also suggested EV drivers are more likely to be confused and flustered by warning lights in their cars, leading them to call for roadside assistance. Whereas petrol car drivers often drive to a garage when being given warning alerts. King estimated, however, that only 86 per cent of traditional cars could be dealt with at the roadside compared to nine in ten battery powered cars which tend to just need a "simple reboot". An additional positive for EV drivers from the survey data suggested their breakdown-related faults could typically be resolved for free, more than any other fuel type. 89% of EV faults could be resolved at zero-cost for the driver, according to the survey, with only three per cent paying more than £1,500 for fixes. Hybrid cars did even better on this front, with 91% being fixed for free, and only two per cent paying over £1,500. However, 76% of petrol car owners reported having their vehicle repaired at no cost following breakdown, and only two-thirds of diesel car drivers.
The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
EVs ‘more likely to break down and leave drivers stranded than petrol or diesel cars,' damning report reveals
ELECTRIC vehicles are reported to be more likely to breakdown on the road than cars with petrol or diesel engines, according to research. A survey of nearly 30,000 drivers looked into their experiences with breakdowns over the past two years. 3 The survey found 16.8 per cent of battery car drivers experienced a break down recently Credit: PA 3 This compares to 10.7 per cent of petrol car owners who reported a break down. Credit: PA The Overall, 11% of respondents of the survey had suffered a fault in the last 24 months that made it undriveable. A similar figure of 10.7 per cent of petrol car owners reported a break down in this time, which is a significantly lower rate than batter car owners. Read More Motors News Results of the survey come just days after the boss of AA reported attending a higher proportion of electric car breakdowns. In 40.6 per cent of these break downs, the EVs had to be towed from the roadside to a garage. However, only 29.6 per cent per cent of petrol cars required this. CEO of the breakdown service provider, Jakob Pfaudler, added EVs are prone to not only punctures, flat batteries, but also jammed charging cables and technical glitches. Most read in Motors He claimed EV breakdowns are more common despite the "idea "common misconception" that they are more reliable than internal combustion engine cars due to having fewer moving parts. On top of that, the report found there was only a one in four chance EV drivers would have their cars permanently fixed by a breakdown company after being stranded on the road. This is in comparison to two in five petrol car owners who were able to get back on the road after calling out roadside assistance. The Sun's Motors Editor Rob Gill takes the new electric Renault 5 for a spin As a result, EVs were the most commonly transported vehicles taken to garages for repairs, as they cannot be towed. They are unable to be towed due rotation of their driven wheels risking of damage to their e-motors. Edmund King, president of AA, also suggested EV drivers are more likely to be confused and flustered by warning lights in their cars, leading them to call for roadside assistance. Whereas petrol car drivers often drive to a garage when being given warning alerts. King estimated, however, that only 86 per cent of traditional cars could be dealt with at the roadside compared to nine in ten battery powered cars which tend to just need a "simple reboot". An additional positive for EV drivers from the survey data suggested their breakdown-related faults could typically be resolved for free, more than any other fuel type. 89% of EV faults could be resolved at zero-cost for the driver, according to the survey, with only three per cent paying more than £1,500 for fixes. Hybrid cars did even better on this front, with 91% being fixed for free, and only two per cent paying over £1,500. However, 76% of petrol car owners reported having their vehicle repaired at no cost following breakdown, and only two-thirds of diesel car drivers. 3 WhatCar? research also found Britannia Rescue to be the best breakdown assistance provider in terms of timing and quality Credit: Getty
The Sun
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Sun
EVs ‘more likely to break down and leave drivers stranded than petrol or diesel cars,' damning report reveals
ELECTRIC vehicles are reported to be more likely to breakdown on the road than cars with petrol or diesel engines, according to research. A survey of nearly 30,000 drivers looked into their experiences with breakdowns over the past two years. 3 3 The Reliability Survey conducted by What Car? in association with MotorEasy looked at a comparison of petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric cars in terms of whether they were likely to break down, as well as be fixed or towed. Overall, 11 per cent of respondents of the survey had suffered a fault in the last 24 months that made it undriveable. A similar figure of 10.7 per cent of petrol car owners reported a break down in this time, which is a significantly lower rate than batter car owners. Hybrid and diesel cars were also at a lower rate, at 14.1 per cent and 15.4 per cent respectively. Results of the survey come just days after the boss of AA reported attending a higher proportion of electric car breakdowns. In 40.6 per cent of these break downs, the EVs had to be towed from the roadside to a garage. However, only 29.6 per cent per cent of petrol cars required this. CEO of the breakdown service provider, Jakob Pfaudler, added EVs are prone to not only punctures, flat batteries, but also jammed charging cables and technical glitches. He claimed EV breakdowns are more common despite the "idea "common misconception" that they are more reliable than internal combustion engine cars due to having fewer moving parts. On top of that, the report found there was only a one in four chance EV drivers would have their cars permanently fixed by a breakdown company after being stranded on the road. This is in comparison to two in five petrol car owners who were able to get back on the road after calling out roadside assistance. The Sun's Motors Editor Rob Gill takes the new electric Renault 5 for a spin As a result, EVs were the most commonly transported vehicles taken to garages for repairs, as they cannot be towed. They are unable to be towed due rotation of their driven wheels risking of damage to their e-motors. Edmund King, president of AA, also suggested EV drivers are more likely to be confused and flustered by warning lights in their cars, leading them to call for roadside assistance. Whereas petrol car drivers often drive to a garage when being given warning alerts. King estimated, however, that only 86 per cent of traditional cars could be dealt with at the roadside compared to nine in ten battery powered cars which tend to just need a "simple reboot". An additional positive for EV drivers from the survey data suggested their breakdown-related faults could typically be resolved for free, more than any other fuel type. 89 per cent of EV faults could be resolved at zero-cost for the driver, according to the survey, with only three per cent paying more than £1,500 for fixes. Hybrid cars did even better on this front, with 91% being fixed for free, and only two per cent paying over £1,500. However, 76 per cent of petrol car owners reported having their vehicle repaired at no cost following breakdown, and only two-thirds of diesel car drivers.
Telegraph
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- Telegraph
EVs ‘most likely type of car to break down'
Electric vehicles (EVs) are the most likely type of car to break down, a survey of tens of thousands of motorists has found. A poll of just under 30,000 car owners found that just over one in 10, or 10.9 per cent, had broken down within the last two years. Of those who gave their car's fuel type, about one in six (16.8 per cent) said the car they broke down in was an EV, What Car? magazine's latest Reliability Survey found. This was a higher breakdown rate than for petrol, diesel or hybrid cars whose owners responded to the survey. Other data gathered by the magazine revealed that owners of diesel-engined cars are most likely to report a fault, with 31 per cent of its readers doing so last year, although that figure has declined from 50 per cent in 2022. The findings come after Jakob Pfaudler, the AA's chief executive, warned of a 'common misconception that electric vehicles break down less frequently than petrol and diesel vehicles'. Mr Pfaudler said in April: 'Currently, at least, that is not the case. The breakdown rate is, in fact, slightly higher for electric vehicles than for internal combustion-engine vehicles.' What Car?'s findings on reliability were based on about 17,300 drivers who gave their vehicles' fuel type, out of the 30,000 surveyed. Some 15.4 per cent of diesel drivers, 14.1 per cent of hybrid (petrol-electric) car owners and 10.7 per cent of petrol-powered motorists reported that they had been left stranded in their cars at some point since 2022. In total, around 7,700 petrol drivers responded, along with 5,100 diesel drivers, just under 2,900 hybrid owners and 1,600 EV motorists. In its survey, What Car? also asked drivers how often their broken-down cars had to be towed away, as opposed to receiving roadside repairs that got them running again. About two in five EVs had to be taken elsewhere to be fixed, the magazine found, compared with just 30pc of petrol cars. However, electric car advocates suggested that the survey's findings lacked rigour. Ben Nelmes, the chief executive of the consultancy New Automotive, said: 'Perhaps a better datapoint for the UK would be the MOT failure rate – after all, when a vehicle fails its MOT (and isn't remedied at the centre) then there's likely to be something fairly wrong with it. 'Battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) have a lower failure rate than petrol and diesel vehicles of comparable ages, except BEV and petrol vehicles that are three-years-old, where the failure rate is essentially the same,' he added. Ginny Buckley, the chief executive of Electrifying, an electric car buying advice website, said: 'The What Car? survey flies in the face of data from companies like Start Rescue, who last year reported that EVs are 59 per cent less likely to break down than their petrol or diesel counterparts,' she said. 'But when they do, the issues are often relatively minor – things like tyres, wheels, or the 12-volt battery – much the same as traditional cars. Expensive mechanical failures, which are common in older internal combustion engine vehicles, are rare thanks to the EV's simpler engineering and fewer moving parts.'
Telegraph
16-04-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Electric cars break down more than petrol vehicles, warns AA
Electric cars are breaking down more often than petrol and diesel vehicles, the Automobile Association (AA) has warned. Jakob Pfaudler, boss of the breakdown service, said electric vehicles (EVs) were prone not only to punctures and flat batteries, but also to a host of specific problems such as jammed charging cables and technical glitches. He said: 'There's a common misconception that electric vehicles break down less frequently than petrol and diesel vehicles. 'Currently, at least, that is not the case. The breakdown rate is, in fact, slightly higher for electric vehicles than for internal combustion-engine vehicles.' Edmund King, AA president, added that EV drivers were often flustered by the technology and respond to warning lights by immediately shutting down their cars on the roadside. That is unlike petrol motorists, he said, who were more likely to drive to the nearest garage when confronted with an oil pressure alert. However, Mr King added that around 80pc of breakdowns involving EVs could be dealt with at the roadside, with technicians able to fix problems such as computer glitches through a simple reboot. Instances of EVs catching fire because of issues around their lithium-ion batteries were also rare, he said, while call-outs for vehicles running out of charge have fallen from 7pc of AA's total to around 2pc. That is largely thanks to the increased roll-out of chargers across the UK, although the percentage is still twice the amount for conventional cars running out of petrol or diesel. The AA said it had been forced to spend more than £10m over the past two years to train its 3,000 employees to a level where they can assist EV drivers and deal with the cars' high-voltage equipment. The firm has also invested in a programme analysing data and software from EVs to better understand issues surrounding the health of motors and batteries. However, Mr Pfaudler said he was reluctant to commit too much money to EVs given the recent drop in sales.
