Price turbulence petroleum products more and more drivers in the world decide to buy electric vehicles. This trend, although much more modest, is also recorded in Serbia. The key question remains: how profitable is this investment. There is no dilemma for repairers: regular maintenance of e-vehicles is up to 80 percent cheaper than vehicles with gasoline or diesel engines. At the same time, the most complicated repairs in Serbia cost from 100.000 to 1 million dinars.
"It's the right time to buy electric vehicles," say the New York Times ("The New York Times"), explaining that this is due to the market in which you can now buy cars with a range of 400 kilometers for less than $40.000. At the same time, the authors claim that the price of used vehicles will soon become cheaper, writes RTS.
The situation is similar in Europe.
According to the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers, electric vehicles (EV) in the European Union account for about 18,8 percent of new registrations.
The biggest market is Germany. Italy recorded a significant increase by as much as 29,5 percent, and Spain with - 13,4 percent more registered electric cars.
A study by the Association of German Insurers (GDV) shows that at the beginning of last year, 1,65 million e-vehicles were registered in this country - five times more than in 2021.
Sales were not greatly affected by the information from this analysis that EV repair costs are still 15 to 20 percent more expensive than those on "regular" vehicles.
Analyzing data collected from service providers in the period from 2021 to 2023, GDV states that the most common failures are software errors, infotainment systems, lighting and electrical systems, brakes...
In Serbia, this kind of research does not yet exist because the number of e-vehicles, compared to the European average, is symbolic.
According to the data of the Ministry of Interior of Serbia, at the beginning of this year, 7.155 electric vehicles were registered, that is, 55.184 so-called hybrid vehicles.
Companies dealing in the sale of used vehicles state that the oil crisis has not increased the demand for electric cars.
Up to 80 percent cheaper maintenance
Experiences of masters in Serbia so far show that electric vehicles are without a doubt more profitable.
"Regular maintenance of electric vehicles is up to 80 percent cheaper than regular maintenance of vehicles with gasoline or diesel engines. If you add to that the consumption of brake system elements is significantly reduced in electric vehicles, the savings in maintenance are even greater," emphasizes Uroš Mitrović, certified trainer of one of the most important importers of electric vehicles in Serbia - Delta Auto Group.
In order to illustrate this, he offers an example of a light commercial vehicle model of the Farizon brand, which this company represents.
"Farizon vehicles, depending on the mode and load, consume a maximum of 400 dinars per 100 km of industrial electricity, while with similar diesel vehicles, the cost of fuel for 100 km of driving is now up to 2.500 - 3.000 dinars. So the difference in cost is five to seven times. It can be easily calculated that at higher mileages, this means savings that can be greater than the price of the vehicle itself. In addition, there are lower costs and simpler maintenance, less time in services, longer warranty periods and everything that is crucial for companies that depend on efficient logistics," says Mitrović.
The most common faults with e-vehicles
When it comes to malfunctions, this repairman says that the most common ones are "not easy to define unambiguously", but also that they are generally rare.
"In practice, they most often refer to the battery management unit (SME/BMS) and high-voltage components, such as contacts, but this largely depends on the specific technical solution and vehicle concept. In certain cases, the thermal management system can also be a challenge, for example the air conditioner compressor, which in the case of e-vehicles is a high-voltage component. However, failures are generally rare, and when they occur, they are most often related to the battery management system," explains Mitrović.
Hence, he cannot generalize the cost of repairs on electric vehicles because it depends on the construction of the vehicle and the electric drive system.
"Generally, the most expensive works are on the batteries themselves and their elements. Depending on the required works, the price can vary from 100.000 to significantly more than 1.000.000 dinars," says this service technician.
Repairs from 200 to 15.000 euros
In a study by the Association of German Insurers (GDV), the most common faults that cause electric vehicles to fail MOT are related to lighting and electrical systems.
Repairing these defects in Germany costs from 200 to 600 euros.
The problem with the brakes is a bit more expensive and the masters charge from 300 to 800 euros.
Battery failure is still a nightmare for owners, as repair or replacement prices range from 5.000 to 15.000 euros.
The most reliable e-cars
The network of independent technical inspection associations in Germany (TUV) in November last year published an analysis based on data obtained from 9,5 million technical inspections during 2025.
These statistics indicate that electric cars have proven to be just as reliable as petrol cars, with models such as the Fiat 500e (mini class), Audi Q4 e‑Tron and Mini Cooper SE among the most reliable.
In the ADAC survey (intervention statistics on the roads) the e-Golf, Hyundai Kona Elektro, BMW i3 and Tesla Model 3 are among the most reliable cars.
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