
In association with MotorEasy
2021 What Car? Reliability Survey: electric cars
We reveal the most – and least – dependable cars up to five years old, based on the experiences of more than 16,000 owners...

What went wrong? Brakes 6%, non-motor electrics 6%
The original Nissan Leaf is ageing rather well. Although 12% of owners of previous-generation models reported faults, all of these were rectified for free by Nissan dealers. What’s more, all work was carried out in a day or less.
Owner’s view "This is my second electric car and I think they’re only getting better. Reliability has been excellent"
2. MG ZS EV (2019-present)

Reliability rating 96.5%
Bodywork and steering were the only troublesome areas for ZS EV owners, who told us that 13% of their cars had suffered a fault in the previous year. The cost of repairs was covered by MG in all cases, and 60% of the faulty cars were put right in less than a week.
3. Kia E-Niro (2019-present)

Reliability rating 95.8%
Among e-Niro owners surveyed, only 8% reported a fault. A small percentage of these issues concerned the main battery pack and the 12-volt battery, and there were niggles with some other electrical components. All repairs were done under warranty, but more than 70% of the cars were off the road for more than a week.

Reliability rating 86.3%
What went wrong? Battery 13%, non-motor electrics 10%, sat-nav 10%, motor electrics 8%, air-con 5%, motor 3% suspension 3%
Owners told us that 30% of their I-Paces had suffered a fault, and that a staggering 75% of these stricken cars had been stuck in service departments for more than a week – some for more than a month. The only positive is that all the remedial work was carried out under warranty.
Owner’s view "It’s a great electric SUV, but the technology it comes with isn’t the most responsive or dependable"
2. Nissan Leaf (2019-present)

Reliability rating 89.7%
The latest Leaf has been stricken by far more faults than the original model; owners told us 45% of their cars had gone wrong, with problem areas including the electric motor battery, 12-volt battery and a range of other electrical systems. Although all cars were fixed for free, 9% spent more than a week in the garage.
3. Renault Zoe (2013-2020)

Reliability rating 92.6%
Zoe owners said that 24% of their cars had been troublesome, with issues affecting the air-con, bodywork, electric motor and non-motor electrics. Although 75% of the faulty cars were fixed for free, the remaining 25% left owners with bills exceeding £1500, and 25% of them spent more than a week off the road.
Reliability of Electric cars aged up to five years old
Rank | Make and model | Score |
---|---|---|
1. | Nissan Leaf 2011-2018 | 98.6% |
2. | MG ZS EV 2019-present | 96.5% |
3. | Kia E-Niro 2019-present | 95.8% |
4. | BMW i3 2013-present | 94.1% |
5. | Tesla Model 3 2019-present | 93.3% |
6. | Renault Zoe 2013-2020 | 92.6% |
7. | Nissan Leaf 2019-present | 89.7% |
8. | Jaguar I-Pace 2018-present | 86.3% |

Best electric SUVs 2022
Thanks to big advancements in battery and charging technology, the best electric SUVs are now as usable as they are desirable. Here we count down the top 10 – and reveal the model to avoid