How Long Do EV Batteries Last?

What’s the life expectancy of an electric vehicle battery? It seems like a simple enough question, but the EV industry has found it surprisingly challenging to answer, thanks to the relatively short time that EVs have been on the market and their rapidly evolving technology.

Most experts agree that EV batteries lose roughly 2% of their capacity per year on average—meaning that batteries store less and less energy over time.

While a typical EV battery warranty covers eight years or 160,000 kilometres (100,000 miles), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the United States predicts that the more advanced batteries in newer vehicles may actually last as long as 12-15 years in moderate climates.

Complicating matters, most estimates of battery longevity have been based on laboratory simulations that wear out batteries with constant charging and discharging cycles.

A recent Stanford University study looked at the impact on lithium-ion EV batteries when this method was swapped for dynamic charging that better mimics real-world conditions.

Over the study’s two-year period, dynamic charging yielded 38% more charging cycles compared to constant charging. The researchers concluded that the lifetime mileage of the average EV battery could be up to 314,000 kilometres (195,000 miles) greater than previously estimated.

Real-world conditions also introduce stressors that are hard on battery health, such as extreme temperatures, but there are ways to minimize wear and tear and prolong your battery’s life. Here are a few of our favourites:

EV batteries wear out faster when they have to keep making the steep climb from nearly empty to a full charge.

To maintain battery health, EV manufacturers recommend maintaining a minimum charge of 20-30% and a topping out at 80%-100%, depending on the battery technology.

Your vehicle’s default settings may recommend a default charging limit to stick to.

To reduce the need to charge to 100%, try energy-saving strategies that extend your EV’s driving range—the distance it can travel before needing a charge.

From reducing your speed to minimizing drag, there’s lots you can do to squeeze the most out of every charge.

Hot and cold temperatures take a toll on batteries. Charging takes longer, driving range may be reduced, and too much exposure to heat can accelerate battery degradation.

A battery thermal management system uses heating and cooling functions to “precondition the battery,” gently bringing the battery cells to a safe temperature before charging and driving.

Systems vary among EV models, so investigate the best options for your climate before you purchase.

DC fast chargers, like the Autel MaxiCharger DC range, offer ultra-quick and convenient charging when you’re on the go, but experts have long warned that too much high-voltage charging could shorten your battery’s life.

A 2024 Recurrent study tried to confirm this advice, looking at data for 13,000 Teslas in the United States to find a correlation between fast-charging and loss of driving range.

To the researchers’ surprise, they found no statistically significant difference in range degradation between fast-charging more than 70% of the time versus 30% of the time.

Most of the vehicles in the study data were released in 2018 or later, so the results don’t capture the longer term effects of DC fast charging.

Until more research is available, you may wish to limit fast-charging to times when speed of the essence and worth the added cost.