When Nissan introduced the Leaf in 2010, one of the first mass-market electric cars, it quickly developed a reputation for rapid battery degradation.
And that bad reputation has followed EVs more broadly for more than a decade.
To this day, battery repair and replacement costs remain a major concern for potential buyers. In a 2026 AAA survey, 56% of people who said they were unlikely to buy an EV cited the high cost of repairing or replacing the battery. This was the top reason given among the survey’s respondents.
New data, however, suggests those fears may be increasingly outdated.
Today’s average EV retains 97% of its original range after three years and 95% after five years, according to an analysis by EV data company Recurrent. For example, the average range for 2026 models is currently 325 miles. After five years, they would still have a range of 309 miles.
Additionally, battery replacement appears to be rare among newer EVs. A separate Recurrent analysis found that the battery replacement rate for EVs with model years 2022 and later was only 0.3%.
An analysis from vehicle data company Geotab also found that EV battery health generally remains strong. After examining more than 22,700 vehicles, the company found that their average annual degradation rate was just 2.3%.
Viet Nguyen-Tien, an EV researcher at the London School of Economics, recently told The Wall Street Journal that improvements in battery chemistry, thermal regulation, and battery-management systems have made today’s batteries more durable than those used in early-generation EVs.
Despite those improvements, new EV sales in the U.S. continue to struggle.
Cox Automotive estimates that Americans bought 74,967 new EVs in June, down nearly 28% from the previous year. Overall, EVs accounted for just 5.4% of all new-vehicle sales during the month.
These sales figures come as the U.S. EV industry suffered a major hit last year after President Donald Trump’s administration allowed federal EV subsidies to expire in September and rolled back emissions regulations. Ford CEO Jim Farley warned at the time that the policy shift could cut demand for EVs in half.
Months later, it appears that EV demand among Americans hasn’t been able to make a comeback yet. A Deloitte survey from earlier this year found that only 7% of Americans want their next car to be electric.
The slowdown has prompted several automakers to rethink their EV strategies and cancel plans for new EV models, resulting in even fewer options for consumers. But it is not all doom and gloom.
Edmunds reported earlier this year that rising gas prices had started nudging consumer interest in EVs upward. Interest in EVs on its website rose from 9.6% in February to 11.6% in March.
The used EV market is also going strong. Used EV sales rose 20.3% in June compared with the previous year, according to Cox Automotive.
Read the full article here
