Electric Vehicle Mythbusting

The internet – especially social media – is a minefield of myths and mistruths that can be very difficult to differentiate between fact and fiction, especially in more technical sectors such as cars or electronics.

To help with this, we’ve pulled together some of the biggest electric vehicle (EV) myths, and set the record straight:

Myth #1: Electric cars are expensive

It’s true that earlier EVs weren’t cheap, but that has changed a lot in recent years. New EVs, like the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03 are priced around the £15,000 mark, while BYD’s Dolphin Surf comes in at a little over £18,000.

And although electric variants of models generally cost a fraction more than the equivalent petrol and diesel models, they’re also far cheaper to run (7-9p per mile on average compared to 19-21p).

Myth #2: EVs can’t travel very far

This isn’t true. The average range of an EV in the UK is around 235 miles, according to the SMMT– and some more premium EV models can drive over 400 miles on a single charge!

A 2024 survey we conducted found that 72% of drivers travel just under 200 miles per week, meaning an entry-level EV will generally only need charging once per week (if not less)!

Myth #3: Charging an EV takes a long time

Not necessarily! You can charge your car up to 80% with a rapid charger (50kW-150kW) in under 40 minutes, which is perfect if you’re at the supermarket or stopping for a comfort break on a long journey. Ultra-rapid chargers (150kW+), which are becoming more and more common, could do the job in under 20 minutes.

Home chargers are slower – usually supplying 3.6kW to 7kW – but are far cheaper and better for battery degradation. They typically charge a car to 100% in under 12 hours, which can easily be achieved overnight -and don’t forget the last 10-20% of your charge always takes longer in all cars to protect the health of your battery (and so manufacturers recommend you only charge to 100% when you really need to).

Myth #4: There aren’t enough public charging points

It’s understandable that a lot of people are concerned that there aren’t enough public EV charging points to meet the demand, but the reality is that there are over 82,369 public EV chargers in the UK in over 40,479 locations.

This number is constantly increasing too; Zap Map reports that 19,834 public chargers were installed in the UK in 2024, while 8,670 have been added in the first half of 2025 so far. Additionally, more and more of these new chargers being installed are 150kW+ ultra-rapid chargers (1,598 added this year alone).

Myth #5: The battery will only last two years and are expensive to replace

This is another misconception. Long-term EV users are finding even after 5+ years and over 100,000 miles, the battery health of their EV is still sitting above 90%. Moreover, many EV manufacturers are supplying their cars with seven-year or 100,000-mile warranties such is the confidence they have in their latest battery technology

Additionally, around 95% of the material inside the battery is recyclable – and recycling technology is coming on in leaps and bounds, so it’s likely that number will be much higher when your EV battery does reach the end of its life. However, many EV experts estimate the lifespan of an EV will be 10-20 years, covering over 200,000 miles.

Myth #6: EVs are slow

Quite the opposite, in fact. Many first-time EV drivers are surprised how quick and responsive they are, as power from the battery is directly used to turn the wheels, so no power is lost via a gearbox as EVs font have one. It also means there’s no delay between pressing the accelerator and the car speeding up which means driving all EVs is a very smooth and quiet experience.

Myth #7: Using the radio or air conditioning will drain my battery

In short, yes it will affect range, but, but an EV is actually equipped with two batteries. One battery is responsible for powering the car, and a smaller 12v battery powers all the ancillaries such as lights, radio, headlights, and air con, which means they have a negligible impact on range.

Using your air conditioning for one hour will only take off 7-10 miles of range, while headlights will take off less than one mile each hour.

Myth #8: My EV battery will lose range if I’m stuck in traffic

Although this may be true for a petrol or diesel car using fuel to keep the engine running while they’re sitting still, this isn’t true for an EV – in fact, they use minimal power, and driving in stop-start traffic might even add range through regenerative braking!

Myth #9: Because EVs are heavier, they wear down tyres and brakes quicker

There is little (if any) evidence to back this theory up. More likely reasons for faster tyre or brake wear include the way the car is driven, tyre quality, road quality, tyre pressure, and the road surface you drive on. In fact, brake pads generally last longer as the regenerative nature of the electric motor means the car slows down automatically when the driver stops accelerating which prolongs the life of your brakes.

Myth #10: I need a different licence to drive an EV

This isn’t true. The rules of the road are exactly the same for EV drivers, and the same driving test applies. In time, theory and practical lessons may be adjusted to be more specific to EVs (for example, effective use of regenerative braking). However, passing your driving test in an EV will result in achieving a Category B Auto licence, which restricts you to driving automatic and electric vehicles in the future.