tell that to Hertz!
`Even without the drop in value of the cars it bought, Hertz struggled with collision and damage repairs on an EV running about twice that associated with a comparable combustion engine vehicle, Scherr told investors on a 2023 call.`[0]
You bring up a valuable point that should not be ignored: The article seems to erroneously include "repair", where Consumer Reports seemingly did not:
> When comparing cumulative costs by brand for years one through five
> and six through 10, we found that Tesla had the lowest maintenance costs.
If the quote from the article is correct (I haven't looked on CR's site), Consumer Reports' claim is specifically about maintenance, not repair.
Hertz's situation was particularly noteworthy because of how much their purchases of Teslas affected the company itself, though that was partially because Hertz started to firesale their Tesla fleet just as Tesla itself lowered prices, further exacerbating the loss.
The CR article [1] uses the phrase "maintenance and repair" nearly everywhere. That quote from the article is one of only two paragraphs where "maintenance" is not "maintenance and repair". The other is a paragraph talking about the "free maintenance periods" that some new cars include, and even that paragraph also mentions repairs.
Even their own site--don't have access to the actual report--is very unclear whether they're just talking routine maintenance or if they're also talking about (accident) repair.
I assume that the point of their maintenance and repair comparison is to help consumers figure out the cost of owning the car. The target audience would be people comparing different cars to figure out what their overall costs might be for the different options.
Such a consumer would be comparing typical maintenance and repair costs, fuel costs, insurance costs, license and registration costs, and probably others I am forgetting.
If that's the case then I'd expect collision repairs to not be included in maintenance and repair costs, because collision repairs are usually handled by insurance. If a particular car is more expensive to repair after a collision that would show up in higher insurance rates and so when comparing cars is accounted for when your compare insurance costs.
In fairness, rental cars are driven harder and treated much more roughly than private vehicles tend to be. (Which is why I've never been a fan of Turo's concept.)
Also, collision repairs likely represent only a fraction of total maintenance costs.
if the article is claiming 'lowest REPAIR costs', why would you ignore the collision repair?
Collisions are not unique to rental fleet, they happen to normal customers too!
The comparison the other poster made is rental to rental. Like it may be the case that rentals see more collision repairs, but it's still informative for everyday use, things like insurance are going to take into account cost differences like that.
Even double collision costs for an average car (with an average number of collisions) might still lead to lower overall "maintenance and repair costs" if other items are lower.
Could tip the balance if your business model is to rent them out to Uber drivers though, and if those are more likely to hit or be hit by other cars.
Hertz HURTS. Worst customer service and run car rental agency. I can see this as a Hurtz problem more than Tesla, but it also may be a combination with renter abuse.
5 figures, depending on model. The largest packs are around $40k.
But Tesla claims 300k - 500k miles before the battery comes due for a replacement. Most of the very oldest Teslas haven't reached that mileage yet. The average drive certainly doesn't reach it in their first 10 years of owning their car.
This is the big one. A timing belt change , new spark plugs etc on a ICE car would cost about CAD 3000 ~4000 for Honda. And then your engine is good for another 100000 km or so.
At this points it's seeming like they function well enough to last the life of the chassis. You're not going to spend $10k to put a new engine in a 10 year old car either, it's simply not worth it. You deal with some bumps and bruises and squeaks and reduced efficiency.
Data at the type level is problematic too. For instance, CR also has data showing that Hybrids are the most reliable but PHEV's are the worst. Which doesn't make any sense because they are very similar vehicles, and PHEV's should theoretically be better than non-pluggable hybrids.
But most Hybrids are Toyotas, and most PHEV's aren't.
I would think Tesla’s lower residual value from price declines would result in a poorer(possibly much poorer) showing using a total cost of ownership framework.
And I would think Toyota, especially Toyota plug-in hybrids, would get a strong boost in total cost of ownership rankings.
Wouldn’t an important inflection point for EVs be winning a total costs of ownership comparison with Toyota plug in hybrids?
Except if you factor in the months of rents car time while you wait for repair parts because Tesla prioritizes parts for new builds and refuses to allow 3rd party parts.
Or the cyber truck which apparently will get bricked if you wash it or sometimes right when you pick it up from the dealer
Good to see more articles pointing out maintenance costs as part of the total costs of ownership, but that's still only part of the story. Purchase, fuel, maintenance (tires, brakes, oil change, etc.), insurance, time, and depreciation costs should all be considered.
I just watched Youtube video saying electric cars have much higher depreciation than non electric cars. It would be a big mistake to think they are cheaper than non-electric cars.
Readit News
[0] https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/18/business/hertz-ceo-departure-...
Hertz's situation was particularly noteworthy because of how much their purchases of Teslas affected the company itself, though that was partially because Hertz started to firesale their Tesla fleet just as Tesla itself lowered prices, further exacerbating the loss.
[1] https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-maintenance/the-cos...
Such a consumer would be comparing typical maintenance and repair costs, fuel costs, insurance costs, license and registration costs, and probably others I am forgetting.
If that's the case then I'd expect collision repairs to not be included in maintenance and repair costs, because collision repairs are usually handled by insurance. If a particular car is more expensive to repair after a collision that would show up in higher insurance rates and so when comparing cars is accounted for when your compare insurance costs.
Also, collision repairs likely represent only a fraction of total maintenance costs.
Could tip the balance if your business model is to rent them out to Uber drivers though, and if those are more likely to hit or be hit by other cars.
But Tesla claims 300k - 500k miles before the battery comes due for a replacement. Most of the very oldest Teslas haven't reached that mileage yet. The average drive certainly doesn't reach it in their first 10 years of owning their car.
Sounds like something insurance companies (or government) should offer. Would cost extra $1 per customer, but would keep tons of drivers happy.
Small car, common model. From the junkyard, but much newer than my toasted one.
I know, not the same thing. I wonder why the comparison was made at all, I'm just following up.
My Tesla is 10 years old (as of this coming July). I bought the extended warranty when they still offered it, which covered me for 8 years (amazing).
I'm really glad I did too, under warranty, I've had 2 door handles replaced, a new motor, a replaced computer.
What would seem more relevant is the type of car, so SUVs vs Sedans etc even if you want to group it further by brand after that.
I can’t imagine a truck would have the same maintenance as a compact.
But most Hybrids are Toyotas, and most PHEV's aren't.
Maintenance, repair, insurance, fuel, residual value.
I would think Tesla’s lower residual value from price declines would result in a poorer(possibly much poorer) showing using a total cost of ownership framework.
And I would think Toyota, especially Toyota plug-in hybrids, would get a strong boost in total cost of ownership rankings.
Wouldn’t an important inflection point for EVs be winning a total costs of ownership comparison with Toyota plug in hybrids?