EVs more reliable than cars with combustion engines, study finds
24.04.2026, DPA
Photo: Henning Kaiser/dpa
Battery-electric cars are significantly more reliable than internal combustion-engined vehicles, according to a new analysis by Germany's huge ADAC automobile club.
Europe’s largest motoring organization reviewed its 3.7 million service missions in 2025 and evaluated breakdowns across 158 vehicle models from 27 manufacturers.
It then calculated the so-called breakdown rate, which indicates the number of breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles. For a four-year-old electric car, the figure was 6.5 – compared with 12.5 for a combustion-engine car of the same age.
“The reason for this is that electric cars contain far fewer parts that are prone to wear and tear,” says an ADAC official. "Typical sources of faults in combustion-engine vehicles include power-train or fuel system components."
Customers in some areas including Germany have been increasingly warming to EVs as an alternative to traditional ICE cars following recent hikes in the price of petrol triggered by the war in Iran. German customers have been increasingly warming to EVs as an alternative to traditional ICE cars following recent hikes in the price of petrol triggered by the war in Iran.
The government has also introduced new cash incentives. However only around 4% of the some 50 million cars on German roads are pure electrics.
The 12-volt starter battery of a typical battery-electric is the most common cause of problems on the road. "Almost half of the breakdowns are caused by this," says the spokesman.
Other faults with electric cars include electrical system defects, although combustion-powered cars have equally complex electrical systems on board.
The BMW i3, which is no longer manufactured by the Bavarian company, has an excellent reliability record along with the Tesla Model 3, the ADAC analysis reveals.
Tesla has started making two-seat Cybercab robotaxis
24.04.2026, DPA
Photo: Andrej Sokolow/dpa
US carmaker Tesla has started producing its Cybercab robotaxi, Tesla boss Elon Musk says.
The driverless two-seater is designed without a steering wheel and pedals. Musk published a short video on his social media platform X showing the Cybercab on the production line.
Tesla is increasingly focusing on robotics and robotaxis and expects its advanced driver-assistance system to receive approval across the European Union in the coming months.
It comes as the company's global deliveries have come under pressure, in part due to the expiration of a tax incentive in the United States under President Donald Trump.
Musk has long said Tesla's future lies in autonomous robotaxis and humanoid robots rather than car sales, suggesting that the Cybercab would eventually make up the bulk of Tesla's output.
However, Tesla is lagging far behind its US rival Waymo when it comes to automated driving. Waymo's robotaxis are already making more than 500,000 paid passenger journeys per week in the US.
By comparison, only a handful of Tesla's Model Y autonomous vehicles have so far entered operation. Cybercab test vehicles have so far been seen with humans at the wheel.
Regardless, Musk has insisted that Tesla will soon become the market leader in autonomous driving, arguing that its models will be cheaper as Tesla plans to rely on cameras only, instead of laser radar technology used by Waymo and other developers.
Experts and rivals have questioned whether cars can drive autonomously with sufficient reliability using cameras alone.
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