EVs have more issues than traditional ICE cars, says study

Customers are said to have reported multiple connectivity issues with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto.

JD Power has released the findings of its 2024 Initial Quality Survey, which states that EV owners reported significantly higher issues on their vehicles compared to ICE car owners.

The results of the new JD Power study were based on responses from close to 1,00,000 customers who had purchased their vehicles 90 days prior. The survey contained 207 questions split across 10 categories, ranging from infotainment to driving assistance to interiors and driving experience; among others. Also, for the first time, the survey included repair visit data, tracking real-world repairs, thereby ensuring a fuller picture of the reality of car ownership in 2024.

As per the survey results, EVs and plug-in hybrids required more repairs than their ICE-powered counterparts across all 10 categories. Frank Hanley, Senior Director of Auto Benchmarking at JD Power, states that these machines (EVs and plug-in hybrids) went in for service at a much higher rate than traditional vehicles.

As per reports, the average problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) for diesel and petrol cars were 180 PP100. However, for EVs, the average increased to 226 PP100.

A few leading issues were related to warning messages. This included not understanding the new slate of technology or getting fed up with false or unnecessary warnings from the car's driver assistance system. Another area of frustration was the infotainment system. Customers are said to have reported multiple connectivity issues with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto. Moving forward, the Features, Controls & Display category was the second most troublesome area, scoring 30% higher than standard ICE cars.

Source: JD Power