Figures published today by Activate Group and Gecko Risk reveal that Tesla vehicles, the most common EVs on UK roads, are also the most expensive to repair.

The data comes as Activate Group, the accident management specialist, announces a partnership with Gecko Risk, the powerful alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) data platform.

The partnership will enable Activate Group to provide rich electric vehicle (EV) data and insights to fleets via its sopp+sopp business, and for insurance customers through Motor Repair Network.

Gecko Risk brings together key information from across the industry and presents it in highly visual, customisable dashboards, covering everything from make and model differentiation, to charging points and repair data.

James Fisher, Director at Gecko Risk said: “As EV adoption soars, insurers and fleets are keen to understand the true impact of the technology for both claims costs and total cost of ownership calculations – Gecko Risk was created to address this issue, and help businesses accurately assess the risks associated with AFVs.”

Pete Thompson, Director of Product at Activate Group added: “Our product roadmap is built around a data-driven, customer-focused approach to the big changes in our industry.

“We know fleets and insurers are developing their AFV strategies, and we’re delighted to partner with Gecko Risk so that both us and our customers can benefit from the rich insights within the platform.”

To celebrate their partnership the two businesses have created a snapshot report with key insights on EV adoption and repair in the UK.

Within this data, EVs have been defined as vehicles powered by battery only – hybrid vehicles are not included in the data below.

EV insights

EV adoption has risen sharply since 2019, and there are now almost 920,000 EVs on UK roads.

Tesla is by far the most popular BEV manufacturer in the UK with over 180,000 registered vehicles – almost as many as its three nearest rivals (Volkswagen, Nissan, and BMW) combined.

According to Gecko Risk, the average EV repair cost over the last four years is just under £2,600. This has remained fairly consistent, however repair costs vary significantly by vehicle manufacturer.

As well as being the most common EVs in the UK, Teslas are also the most expensive to repair, with an average repair cost of more than £3,000.

The EV specialist is closely followed by other high-end marques, with Mercedes-Benz (£2,996) and BMW (£2,938) coming in as the second and third most expensive EVs to repair.

On the other side of the coin, Volkswagen, the UK’s second most popular EV manufacturer, returned a relatively low average repair cost of just over £2,300.

Reflecting on the figures, Hannah Wilcox, CEO of Activate Group said: “We recognise the significant impact EVs are having on our industry and have placed a strong focus on ensuring high levels of EV capability across our UK repair network.

“It’s encouraging to see that EV repair costs have remained relatively stable despite a significant increase in demand as the number of EVs on the road rises.

“In terms of repair cost by manufacturer, we expect to see higher average repair costs for prestige marques. This is driven by the cost of parts, as well as the technology and systems fitted to these vehicles.

“As a specialist EV manufacturer, Tesla makes a relatively low number of vehicles in comparison to the total produced by established manufacturers like Volkswagen and MG. This means long lead times and high costs for replacement parts, as well as a smaller number of approved repairers.”

Hannah continues: “This high-level data snapshot highlights the broad range of factors at play when making EV strategy decisions.

“Our partnership with Gecko allows us to really dig into the detail and ensure we’re best placed to support our customers as AFV volumes increase.”