Electric Cars vs Combustion: Which Breaks Down More?

Recent data confirms the superior reliability of electric vehicles compared to combustion engine cars. In a highly dynamic electric market with an increasing variety of models, the evolution of this reliability trend in the coming years will be a decisive factor.

This is the interpretation of Germany's largest roadside assistance automobile club, which has presented its annual study "ADAC Breakdown Statistics 2025: Winners and Losers," a detailed analysis of over 3.6 million interventions carried out during 2024.

This report highlights a 46% increase in calls from electric car owners, with a total of 43,678 assistances in 2024. However, the ADAC contextualizes this rise, considering it a logical consequence of the increase in the number of electric vehicles on the road.

For the automobile club's statisticians, this increase expands the database to more precisely analyze the reliability of electric vehicles compared to combustion ones.

The initial conclusions are revealing: young electric cars (aged between two and four years) prove to be less prone to breakdowns than gasoline or diesel vehicles of the same age. In 2024, the breakdown rate for combustion vehicles aged two to four years was 9.4 per thousand units, while for electric cars it was only 3.8. This trend continues in vehicles four years old, with 12.9 breakdowns per thousand units for combustion cars compared to 8.5 for electric ones. The ADAC attributes this improvement in electric reliability to manufacturers resolving initial problems.

The ADAC study also analyzes reliability by specific models, offering valuable information for second-hand car buyers. Surprisingly, Toyota has shown below-expected performance in the last two years. The Toyota C-HR tops the list of models with the most breakdowns (63.1 per thousand units), followed by other models from the brand such as the RAV4, Yaris, and Yaris Cross, all with recurring issues related to the starter battery. Toyota has acknowledged these problems and claims to have implemented more powerful batteries in recent vehicles.

In the realm of electric cars, the Hyundai IONIQ 5 presents a high breakdown rate (22.4 per thousand vehicles) due to failures in the integrated charging control unit, prompting a recall by the manufacturer. On the opposite side, the Tesla Model 3 stands out as one of the most reliable electric cars, with a rate of just 0.5 breakdowns per thousand units. Among combustion cars, the Mini and Audi A5 lead in reliability.

The study reveals that the 12-volt starter battery remains the primary cause of breakdowns, affecting 44.9% of cases in 2024, in both electric and combustion vehicles. In electric cars, issues with onboard electronics are also frequent, often related to the 12-volt battery itself.

Regarding the engine and its management, electric cars show a clear advantage thanks to their simpler design with far fewer moving parts.