The estimated scheduled maintenance cost for a light-duty battery-electric vehicle is substantially lower than that of a conventional internal combustion engine vehicle, according to a new report by the Argonne National Laboratory, a Department of Energy research center. The BEV’s scheduled maintenance cost is expected to be 6.1 cents per mile while an ICE vehicle costs 10.1 cents per mile.

A battery-electric vehicle lacks an ICE vehicle’s engine oil, timing belt, oxygen sensor, and spark plugs, and the maintenance costs associated with them, according to the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy. 

While maintenance costs may be lowest for BEVs, HEVs have the lowest cost of ownership over a 15-year span, at least for small SUVs, according to the full report, Comprehensive Total Cost of Ownership Quantification for Vehicles with Different Size Classes and Powertrains (results on page 108). It takes into account vehicle cost and depreciation, financing, fuel costs, insurance costs, maintenance and repair costs, taxes and fees, and other operational costs to formulate total cost of ownership and operation of multiple different vehicles.