MisleadingMaintenance costs·Cars·Europe·Evidence published 2026
“Electric cars always cost less to maintain than petrol and diesel cars in Europe”
Reviewed 2026-10-05 · 3 min read · 2 original sources
What the evidence shows
A 2026 ADAC sample of German workshop inspection estimates found lower EV quotes for four of five makes, but Dacia was a clear exception. The result covers scheduled inspection estimates from selected brand workshops, not every repair or a Europe-wide fleet average.
THE VEHICLES BEHIND THE NUMBERS
Older vehicles or current generations?
No direct older-versus-modern comparison is valid. ADAC requested workshop estimates in 2026 for named makes/models, but the public report does not state their MYs, trims, battery variants, or vehicle ages. The quote year must not be treated as MY2026, and the estimates do not isolate battery-related repair costs.
We separate vehicles from before 2023 and 2023 onward. A report’s publication date does not establish a vehicle’s model year or a battery’s manufacturing date.
Vehicle years not establishedADAC branded-workshop inspection estimatesSample & battery details
Vehicles / sample
Make-level BEV versus combustion comparisons for BMW, Dacia, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen; the public summary names BMW i4 and M440i as a city/rural example but does not specify their versions or the other exact paired models.
Vehicle years
Not reported. February 2026 is the workshop-quote collection/publication period, not a model-year cohort.
Battery chemistry
Not reported; quotes are not chemistry-stratified.
Battery capacity
Not reported; EV trims and pack variants are not identified.
Battery manufacture
Not reported.
Observation period
120 estimates requested and 94 received from workshops around Hamburg, Cologne, and Munich; published 2026-02-03.
“Not reported” means the source does not disclose it. Model year, first registration, vehicle assembly and battery manufacture are different dates. Unmatched studies cannot establish how much newer batteries improved.
MANUFACTURERS IN THIS EVIDENCE
Which brands do these results describe?
ADAC reports make-level EV-versus-combustion inspection estimates for five makes and model-level BMW examples. Comparisons are possible within its selected German workshop sample; these are quotes, not longitudinal bills or European brand-wide maintenance rates.
EV-focused brands
No separately identified result for this group in the cited evidence.
ADAC BEV/combustion inspection comparisons; i4 and M440i city/rural quote examples.
Dacia
ADAC make-level inspection estimates; combustion quote was lower in this sample.
Hyundai
ADAC make-level inspection estimates in selected German workshops.
Mercedes-Benz
ADAC make-level inspection estimates in selected German workshops.
Volkswagen
ADAC make-level inspection estimates in selected German workshops.
All manufacturers are OEMs. These groups describe brand focus, not a quality ranking or country of origin. EV-focused brands can also sell plug-in hybrids. Results apply to the identified models, batteries and conditions.
The German inspection sample usually favoured EVs, with an exception
The absolute claim fails as written because the direction was not universal even in the sample ADAC examined. In February 2026, ADAC requested 120 inspection cost estimates from branded workshops for electric and comparable combustion models from BMW, Dacia, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen. It received 94 responses from workshops in Hamburg, Cologne and Munich and their surrounding areas. For BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen and Hyundai, estimated EV inspection costs were respectively 58%, 45%, 44% and 39% lower than the comparison combustion models. At Dacia, the combustion model instead received an average inspection quote 43% below the electric model. [1]
ADAC reported that, across the three city regions and nearby areas, combustion maintenance quotes were at least one third higher for comparable models except Dacia. This is useful evidence that the absence of oil, oil filters and spark plugs can reduce routine service work. It does not show that each electric model will be cheaper at every service visit or across the full life of the car. [1]
The comparison is about inspection quotes, not every maintenance bill
The observed item was a workshop cost estimate for inspection and maintenance work. It was not a longitudinal study of bills paid by owners. ADAC’s public summary does not give the number of responses within each brand-and-city pair, so the percentages should be read as results from this selected quotation exercise rather than precise nationwide rates. The answer also depends on the service schedule and what the manufacturer requires at that age and mileage. Model differences, service timing and included consumables can shift the bill, so owners should compare the exact scheduled visit. [1]
Location mattered within the sample. The ADAC BMW M440i inspection estimate averaged €1,054 in Hamburg versus €955 in nearby rural locations, a 10% difference. The BMW i4 estimate was €527 in the city versus €373 nearby, a 41% gap. ADAC also found that almost half of workshops with detailed itemizations applied EV hourly labour rates around 17% higher on average. It said this premium lacked a technical justification. This suggests the quoted EV advantage could be affected by workshop pricing, but it does not justify adjusting the reported numbers after the fact. [1]
Routine servicing is only one part of ownership cost
Lower inspection cost is a real advantage where the matched model and local workshop rates support it. It does not mean an EV is always cheaper to keep. Unexpected faults, collision repair, tires, insurance and depreciation are different cost categories and are not settled by an inspection quote. ADAC’s separate April 2026 five-year German cost comparison includes expected depreciation, routine service, common repairs, tire replacement, insurance, tax and energy; it identifies depreciation as the largest cost factor overall. The purchase and charging assumptions can therefore outweigh the servicing difference in a buyer’s full budget. [2]
Use the result as a prompt to compare the service schedules and written estimates for the specific cars under consideration. Ask workshops for itemized prices in your area, including labour rates and required fluids or inspections. The available German data support saying that EV inspection estimates were lower for most of five sampled makes, not that every EV is cheaper to maintain throughout Europe.
Data period:ADAC workshop cost estimates collected in Hamburg, Cologne and Munich and nearby areas; published 2026-02-03
This is a representative claim, not a quotation attributed to a particular person or publisher.
What this does—and doesn’t—tell us
This is a geographically limited set of dealer estimates, not invoices from a representative European owner sample; the public summary does not report sample sizes for each make or city.
Inspection and scheduled service costs do not measure collision work, unusual mechanical or battery failures, tires, insurance, depreciation or complete lifetime maintenance spending.
Workshop prices vary sharply by location. ADAC found a 41% city-to-rural difference for its BMW i4 example, so these German prices should not be transferred to another country or shop.
All listed companies are original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). EV-focused describes portfolio emphasis, not BEV-only sales; multi-powertrain describes a broader lineup. These are broad context labels, not quality scores or chart results. Counts are plotted observations; a chart can show multiple test conditions or cost components for the same model.
Europe · 2026
Four makes with lower EV inspection estimates; Dacia is excluded from these bars because the comparison reverses
percent below comparable ICE estimate
BMW
58
Mercedes-Benz
45
Volkswagen
44
Hyundai
39
ADAC received 94 estimates from 120 requests in Hamburg, Cologne, Munich and nearby areas. These four bars use the combustion estimate as the baseline. Dacia is the exception: its combustion estimate was 43% below the EV estimate, a different denominator, so it is not plotted on this axis. Selected workshop quotes, not paid invoices or a representative Europe-wide maintenance survey.
Routine EV inspection estimates were lower for four of five makes in ADAC’s German sample, but Dacia was an exception and repair, tire, insurance and depreciation costs remain separate questions.
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