The Must-Know Yearly Maintenance Tasks for Electric Vehicles

You did it! Purchased a shiny new electric vehicle. You can accelerate at the speed of a shooting star. You want to protect your investment. You’ve been told EVs are cheaper than gas cars to maintain. But what maintenance tasks do you need to complete every year for your investment to last as long as possible?

As you already know EVs are cheaper to maintain. No more oil changes. No spark plug replacements or alternator belts. But there is some maintenance tasks to be done. Below we will go over what you can expect for your EV maintenance by manufacturer.

Monthly Checks

Here are a few things you should check on a monthly or every few month basis.

All exterior and interior lights. Check for function make sure no blown bulbs
Check all of your tires including the spare for wear and pressure level. See your manufacturers spec for proper pressure level, its usually on a sticker in the driver side door.
Check coolant levels as well as windshield wiper fluid and brake fluid.
You can also check for software updates for your vehicle. You vehicle probably receives over the air updates and are also probably automatic.

tesla Maintenance Schedule

Tesla maintenance is done through their mobile service providers. Unlike other manufacturers Tesla does not use dealers and so you will not take you Tesla to a dealer for service like you would a Ford or GM. They will dispatch someone to your home to do basic maintenance tasks such as tire rotations, air filter changes, fluid top off and other basic tasks. If your maintenance is more complex or you need a repair done. Tesla operates service centers that operate in at least 35 states. In California they operate 39 service centers across the state. However in other states the service center will probably be less convenient and expect to have to travel if you need to visit the service center. Although before you do that check with your local GM dealer. KBB is reporting that GM dealers have been quietly servicing Teslas.

This is the Maintenance Schedule according to Tesla.com

Replace Cabin Air Filter: Every 2 years on Models 3 and Y, Every 3 years for Models S and X
Rotate Tires and Align Wheels: Every 6,250 miles or works out to about every 6 to 8 months, or sooner if you drive a lot such as a long commute.
Test Brake Fluid: Every 2 years
Replace Air Conditioner Desiccant Bag: Every 3 years for Models S and X, Every 4 Years for Model Y and Every 6 Years for Model 3
Replace HEPA Air Filter for the cabin: Every 3 years
Clean and Lubricate Brakes: Every 12 months or 12,500 miles if you have salt put on your roads in the winter

Ford EV Maintenance Schedule

Ford EV maintenance like every other Ford vehicle will be done at your local ford Dealer. Here is the maintenance schedule for Ford EVs per Fords schedule.

Normal Scheduled Maintenance Rotate tires and multi-point inspection: Every 12 months
Change Brake Fluid: Every 3 years
Replace Cabin Air Filter: Every 20,000 mi
Change the transmission fluid: At 10 years or 150,000 mi
Change the coolant: at 200,000 mi or 10 years

Rivian Maintenance Schedule

Rivian like Tesla will send technicians to you when your vehicle needs service. You can contact the Rivian service support team through the app or by calling the customer service number at (855) RIVIAN5. Their team is available 24/7 to help with maintenance or repair problems.

Rivian is also working on opening up service centers across the country to support their growing fleet. The service centers will be in major cities and open seven days a week. They will offer maintenance, repairs and charging.

Interestingly Rivian does not yet have an established maintenance schedule for their vehicles. The website lists no regular maintenance items and the manual for their R1 vehicles only lists windshield wipers and windshield wiper fluid as needing replacement.

According to one user on the Rivian Forums they were told that Rivian is currently collecting information about how their vehicles perform on the road and are compiling that data to put together recommendations non service intervals. This is the list given on the forum.

Cabin Air Filter: Every 2 years
Clean and Lubricate Brake Calipers: every 15,000 miles
Rotate Tires: every 6,000 miles

Volkswagen EV Maintenance Schedule

Volkswagen recommends maintenance every 10,000 miles on their electric vehicles. This is the schedule.

Multipoint Inspection: Every 10k miles
At 110,000 miles: Check rear window, Replace cabin air filter, rotate tires.

Kia EV Maintenance Schedule

Kia recommends maintenance every 8k miles or 12 months. This is the schedule.

12 months: Rotate tires, Inspect climate control air filter, multi-point inspection, inspect brake fluid.
24 months: Inspect drive shaft and boots, replace climate control air filter
48 months: Inspect reduction gear fluid
Replace Brake Fluid: every 2 years
Replace Coolant: 10 years or 120,000 miles

Hyundai EV Maintenance Schedule

Below it Hyundai’s EV maintenance schedule

Replace Climate Control Air Filter: Every 12 months
Coolant: 120,000 miles or 10 years
Multipoint Inspection every 12 months.
Brake Fluid Replacement: Inspect every 5,000 miles or 12 months, Replace every 60,000 miles or 2 years.
Reduction Gear Fluid: Replace Every 80,000 miles if you drive in harsh conditions

Chevrolet EV Maintenance Schedule

Chevy recommends bringing your EV into the dealer every 7,500 miles or 6 months for routine inspections. The maintenance items are listed below.

Replace these Cabin Air Filter: every 22,500 miles
Replace the air conditioning desiccant: every 7 years
Replace the battery: every 8-10 years
Replace the hood and body lift supports and gas struts: every 10 years

Polestar Maintenance Schedule

Polestar because they are owned by Volvo they can be serviced at select Volvo locations. They have a locator map on their website to find the closest service station to you. You can also schedule service through the Polestar app or by phone. This is the recommended maintenance schedule.

Multipoint Inspection: Every 20,000 miles
Replace Cabin Air Filter: Every 20,000 miles
Replace Brake Fluid: Every 40,000 miles or 3 years.

BMW EV Maintenance Schedule

Pollen Filter and Air Filter: Every 20,000 miles or 2 years
Brake Fluid: Every 20,000 miles or 2 years
Battery Coolant: Lifetime change if replaced
Tire Rotation: Check and rotate every 10,000 miles or 1 year
Wiper Fluid: Every 20,000 miles or 2 years

Fiat EV Maintenance Schedule

Multipoint Inspection every 20,000 miles or 2 years
Replace Cabin Air Filter: Every 20,000 miles or 2 years
Clean and lube sun roof tracks if applicable: every 20,000 miles or 2 years
Flush and replace the Power Electronics and Battery Thermal Loop System at 10 years or 150,000 miles.

Can I take My EV to a regular Auto Shop for Maintenance or Repair?

Currently probably not, most auto shops still only service gas vehicles. While that is likely to start changing. Your local mechanic probably has little to no experience with your EV as they are so new. Also check the warranty on your EV as it may be affected if you go to a mechanic not certified by your EV manufacturer.