New analysis by roadside assistance organisation The AA has identified the main reasons for calls out to rescue electric vehicles are the same as for petrol and diesel cars.

The figures show ‘out of charge’ EV breakdowns, which are calculated as a percentage of all EV breakdowns, are at a record low of less than 2% (1.85%). The rolling 12-month figure for 2023 was 2.26%.

The AA has also found the top 30% of breakdown faults for EVs are almost identical to petrol and diesel cars, which tend to be tyres, wheels and the 12V battery.

The AA deals with approximately 8,000 breakdowns each day across all vehicle categories but only deals with five or six out of charge vehicles per day, and often the vehicles are not actually stalled but have a driver worried about reaching the next working charger due to being low on charge or not able to charge due to technical problems.

In 2015, the proportion of ‘out of charge’ EVs was running at 8.26% but has been on a downward trend since, helped by improved EV range, better driver understanding, and higher numbers of more reliable chargers. Ultimately, the AA expects the figures to drop to 1% which is roughly the proportion of ICE cars running out of petrol or diesel.

AA president Edmund King said: "We understand why many drivers have been hesitant about switching to EVs as it is a major change, but it is important that their decisions are based on accurate information. 

"Once drivers have made the switch, the vast majority enjoy the ride and won’t go back."

In May The AA announced fully electric recovery trucks will be hitting the UK’s roads this year, making The AA the first UK-based roadside assistance firm to add full electric recovery vehicles to its fleet for structured tests of alternative fuel vehicles in real-life settings.

That came a year after it added the first electric vans to its roadside assistance fleet.

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