Do Electric Vehicles Need Oil Changes?
All-electric vehicles do not require oil changes. However, hybrid electric vehicles still rely on an internal combustion engine, and so these will require regular oil changes.
Making the switch from a gas engine car to an electric vehicle can bring lots of changes. EVs have an entirely different operating system than the cars most of us have been driving all our lives. Most first-time electric vehicle drivers have lots of questions when they buy their first EV. Many of these have to do with maintenance for their car. “Do electric vehicles need oil changes?” is a very common question.
What Kinds of Autocare Do Electric Vehicles Need?
The answer to whether or not EVs need oil changes is, in most cases, no. Oil changes in combustion engine cars are done to keep the various parts of the engine well-lubricated. But an EV does not run on a combustion engine and has fewer interconnected parts. Therefore, no oil is needed for a fully electric vehicle. However, this is not the case for all electric vehicles.
Hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, like the Lexus NX Plug-in Hybrid, use a mix of electric power and gas power. These vehicles still utilize a gas combustion engine, and so they must be serviced like a traditional car. Regular oil changes are still a requirement for hybrids.
However, if your EV is a fully-electric model (meaning it runs on an electric battery as its only power source), then you will never need to change your oil again.
Servicing Your Electric Vehicle
Just because you don’t need to worry about oil changes or other once-routine forms of maintenance, it does not mean you can neglect your EV. Even the best electric vehicles still require care and attention. In fact, when you invest in a luxury electric vehicle, proper care is essential if you want to get the most out of it.
The primary component to pay attention to in your EV is the battery. You can protect your battery by keeping your car out of extreme heat and avoiding charging it too frequently. For instance, if you routinely charge your battery before it drops below 20% remaining, you might be reducing its efficiency.
Battery technology is one of the fastest-improving areas of performance for EVs. Electric vehicles in 2022 typically come with eight to 10-year warranties on their batteries. But as technology improves, we could expect EV batteries to last even longer than that in the future.
Once you move past the battery, electric vehicles are largely similar to traditional cars. As such, many other forms of routine maintenance are still important to the life and performance of your EV.
Electric Vehicle Brake Maintenance
Many of the best electric vehicles are designed with a regenerative braking feature. While this prolongs the life of your brakes, it does not mean you can ignore brake maintenance. Checking your brake pads periodically and replacing them as needed is still essential for your driving safety.
Electric Vehicle Tire Maintenance
Tire maintenance is arguably more important on EVs than on traditional cars. This is because EV tires need to be able to withstand more pressure and provide better traction. This is because the electric batteries in EVs make them heavier than traditional cars. You should pay extra close attention to your tire pressure, and continue to rotate your tires when the tread depth becomes uneven. You may not need to do this as frequently on an EV, but it still must be done occasionally.
Schedule A Luxury Electric Vehicle Service Appointment
Ray Catena is the tri-state area’s leader in luxury electric vehicles. Learn more about the types of maintenance LEVs need, or contact us and find out how you can get started with our signature Electrified Luxury.
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