• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Exactly how quickly EV batteries degrade revealed in shocking new study

Home> Technology> News

Published 15:55 13 Feb 2025 GMT

Exactly how quickly EV batteries degrade revealed in shocking new study

A Which? survey seeks to answer any potential electric car buyers' concerns about how quickly the vehicles' battery health declines

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck

A survey has revealed how quickly an electric vehicle's battery can decline over a seven-year period.

At the beginning of 2025, Elon Musk's Tesla reported a decline in sales for the first time in over a decade - with some speculating that his endorsement of the far right and President Donald Trump.

But it's not just Musk's electric vehicles, as other electric cars are also facing scrutiny with potential buyers questioning just how well their batteries last - after all, we've all seen how quickly our phone battery can dip over time.

The survey

Which? conducted a survey after noticing it's a 'common worry among people that are looking to buy their first electric car' about how quickly the battery life will degrade over time.

The company surveyed 3,595 owners of electric vehicles who purchased their vehicle over the past seven years asking how much their battery has decreased since they first bought it, Mail Online exclusively reports.

Advert

Owners of electric cars who bought them seven years ago - around 2017 or 2018, yup, feel old yet? - saw the battery percentage dropped to around 93 percent from a starting point of 100.

"So, if your car's range when new was 180 miles (around the average for all EVS we've tested), you could expect this to drop to 167 miles," Which? explained.

If the electric car owner bought their car in around 2019 or 2020 - four to five years ago - their car's battery had dropped to 96 percent. And those with electric cars purchased in 2021 until last year reported their battery reading around 97 percent.

Which? noted: "The average annual mileage for all EV respondents in our survey was 6,001 miles, so if you drive fewer miles than that in a year, you may see better figures."

Advert

But what impacts your battery's lifespan?

The study looked into how quickly the battery lifespan drops (Getty Stock Images)
The study looked into how quickly the battery lifespan drops (Getty Stock Images)

What impacts your battery health?

Which? revealed how many times you charge your car affects your battery's health, alongside factors such as weather and the strength of the charger too.

Advert

In cold weather, the company noted some cars can lose 'as much as 40 of their range' and cars also 'charge more slowly' in colder temperatures.

So when do you need to start worrying about how much your battery's lifespan has dropped?

Weather impacts your battery's health (Getty Stock Images)
Weather impacts your battery's health (Getty Stock Images)

How much of a drop may impact your journey

Well, Which? noted if your battery drops by around 30 percent then this could potentially make your journey a bit hellish.

Advert

"A 30 percent drop in range is a significant chunk which could affect your ability to make some journeys free of interruptions for charging stops," it said.

The survey resolved: "Like all batteries, the cells that power an EV will degrade over time. However, our data shows that while battery degradation in EVs is an issue, it's not as bad as you might think in the first few years of ownership."

Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Images By Tang Ming Tung

Topics: Cars, Electric Cars, Technology, Tesla, Elon Musk, Environment

Poppy Bilderbeck
Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

5 hours ago
21 hours ago
a day ago
  • 5 hours ago

    ISS astronaut reveals how they give haircuts in space and it's blown our mind

    Haircut while hurtling through space at 17,500 mph, anyone?

    Technology
  • 21 hours ago

    Stunning footage caught from ISS shows SpaceX craft burning up as crew return to Earth

    America's most experienced astronaut Peggy Whitson, who has spent the most time in space than anyone outside of Russia, has splashed down

    Technology
  • a day ago

    Surprising iPhone trick not many people know can make your battery last much longer

    The really simple hack could prove to be hugely beneficial

    Technology
  • a day ago

    Expert reveals four key ways to spot a fake Labubu as toys start to sell for thousands of dollars

    'Clean, precise detailing and consistent paintwork' point towards authenticity

    Technology
  • Tesla recalls a staggering 700,000 vehicles over concerning fault that 'increases risk of crashing'
  • Family blames Elon Musk after son dies while Tesla was driving in 'autopilot' mode
  • Man shares his Cybertruck order receipt and people stunned by how much he paid
  • Astronomers thought they’d discovered new asteroid in space but quickly realized the truth behind it