Credits: Kia.com
A study conducted in Sweden by used-car broker Kvdbil examined the battery health of nearly 1,400 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles as they aged. The surprising winner? The Kia EV6, closely followed by the Kia e-Niro.
| Rank | Brands with Highest SoH | Models with Highest SoH | PHEVs with Highest SoH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kia | Kia EV6 | Kia Sportage |
| 2 | Audi | Kia e-Niro | Kia Optima |
| 3 | Opel | Tesla Model Y | Volvo XC60 |
| 4 | Tesla | Opel Mokka-e | Kia Creed |
| 5 | Mercedes | Mazda MX-30 | Volvo V60 |
| 6 | Peugeot | Audi Q4 e-tron | Peugeot 3008 |
| 7 | Volvo | Fiat 500e | BMW 530e |
| 8 | BMW | Volvo XC40 Recharge | Volkswagen Passat GTE |
| 9 | Volkswagen | Citroen e-C4 | BMW X1 |
| 10 | Skoda | Volkswagen ID.4 | BMW 330e |
Both vehicles outlasted most other electric vehicles in terms of original battery capacity retention. Interestingly, the brand picture doesn't say everything. Tesla, Audi and Volvo were also among the top-performing brands.
The driving habits, charging habits, and climate (and not the badge on your car) are the largest determining factors of battery health. Overall, every vehicle, eight out of ten, had retained at least 90% of the original battery capacity even many years after they had been operated. Many plug-in hybrids, like the Kia Sportage and the Volvo XC60 showed similar durability.
Kvdbil's Martin Reinholdsson simply stated, "It’s usage and not the badge that matter most". The bottom line is that EV batteries last. With charging smartly and taking care of your battery, you can expect a battery to be reliable for a number of years, disproving some of the earlier myths of dead EV batteries.
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