Battery life remains one of the biggest questions for electric vehicle shoppers, and for understandable reasons. The battery pack represents a significant portion of a car’s value, and although the technology is improving rapidly, many drivers still wonder how much range they should expect to lose over time.
A new study from Recurrent, which analyzes real-world EV performance using telematics data, sheds light on how various automakers are handling battery aging. By looking at how much real-world range hundreds or thousands of EVs retain after three years on the road, the study helps answer a common but confusing question: Which EVs keep their range best over time?
The findings make one thing clear: battery degradation is real, but it’s far less worrisome in today’s electric cars than most people assume. Modern EVs are holding up remarkably well, and even the brands that lose more range still retain the vast majority of their original capability.
Let’s break down what the research shows, why different brands see different outcomes, and what owners can expect throughout a battery’s life cycle.
Battery Degradation Is Real — But Not the Headache Many Expect
Like any rechargeable lithium-ion battery, an EV battery slowly loses capacity. This loss affects how much energy it can store, which in turn affects driving range. But the important point is that this process is slow and predictable, particularly in newer vehicles.
For most modern EVs, the early years see a slight and noticeable loss in range, but after that initial period, the degradation rate slows down significantly. Manufacturers design their packs to last well over a decade, and most vehicles will continue to perform reliably with very little day-to-day impact for many years.
That’s good news for buyers. It means the fear that an EV battery will quickly deteriorate and leave an owner stranded is largely outdated. Real-world data consistently shows that most vehicles maintain strong range performance well beyond the three-year mark.
How Recurrent Measures Real-World Range
Recurrent’s study is based on telematics data from actual cars on the road. Instead of using an EV’s official EPA rating, the analysis compares each vehicle’s current real-world range with the real-world range it had when it first left the dealership. This method gives a much more accurate picture of how the vehicle truly performs over time.
The sample sizes vary by brand, ranging from hundreds to thousands of vehicles. Because the system tracks real driving and charging behavior, the results reflect what owners actually experience, not what laboratory tests predict.
The Standout Brands: Who Retains the Most Range?
According to Recurrent’s findings, several major brands retain exceptionally high range levels after three years of use. At the top of the list:
- Cadillac
- Hyundai
- Mercedes-Benz
These automakers show some of the strongest real-world range retention. That suggests effective battery management systems, good heat control, and modern pack designs.
Tesla also performs very well in the study. Vehicles in Tesla’s fleet maintained more than 96 percent of their original range after three years. Given Tesla's long history with EV battery engineering and its careful thermal management strategies, this high retention rate is not surprising.
Brands With More Noticeable Range Loss
Volkswagen, BMW, and Jaguar recorded more degradation over the same period, though it’s important to emphasize that even these brands still kept more than 90 percent of their original range after three years. That means the differences are real but not dramatic.
There are some clear reasons for these results. Several models from these brands use older battery technology. For example:
- Chevrolet’s lower ranking can be explained by the Bolt, which relies on older tech compared to Cadillac EVs that use GM’s newer Ultium platform.
- Jaguar’s I-Pace, launched in 2018, predates many advancements in heat management and battery chemistry.
- BMW’s i3, which dates back to 2014, also brings down the brand’s average simply because it belongs to the earliest generation of EVs.
As newer models replace these early designs, these rankings may shift.
Why Some Brands Show Zero Range Loss
One of the more surprising outcomes in the data is that some automakers appear to show zero range loss after several years. That doesn’t mean the batteries aren’t aging. Instead, it reflects how vehicle manufacturers buffer their battery packs.
EVs often ship with a portion of the battery’s capacity inaccessible. As the battery ages, automakers can unlock additional capacity through software, offsetting the visible impact of degradation. Software updates can also improve efficiency by refining regenerative braking, power delivery, or thermal management.
This strategy creates a smoother long-term driving experience but can mask what’s happening inside the battery.
Understanding the EV Degradation Curve
Researchers and engineers have long recognized the S-shaped degradation curve typical of lithium-ion batteries.
- Early drop: In the first months or years, a noticeable amount of capacity loss occurs as the battery settles.
- Stable middle period: After that, batteries enter a long stretch of slow, steady, linear aging. Most EVs on the road today sit comfortably in this stable phase.
- End-of-life cliff: Only late in a battery’s life does capacity drop more sharply. Even then, most EVs rarely experience sudden, catastrophic failure.
Because the earliest mass-market EVs are only now becoming 10 to 12 years old, the industry is just beginning to understand long-term patterns. Yet even the earliest models demonstrate longevity far beyond many early predictions.
How Common Are Battery Replacements?
Battery replacements remain rare. Outside of two major recalls — the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Hyundai Kona EV — most vehicles see few battery failures or defects.
Across Recurrent’s community of EV drivers:
- Under 4 percent of batteries have been replaced, including in vehicles more than a decade old.
- First-generation EVs show around an 8.5 percent replacement rate.
- Second-generation EVs such as early Tesla Model 3 and Chevy Bolt models see around 2 percent.
- Modern EVs (2022 and newer) have a replacement rate of just 0.3 percent.
These numbers paint a clear picture: failures happen, but they’re unusual.
Why an EV Battery Might Need Replacement
There are three main reasons a battery might be replaced, and all of them are rare.
1. Manufacturing Defect or Failure: When a battery pack has a structural flaw or defect, the manufacturer replaces it under warranty. The Bolt and Kona recalls fall into this category. Most defects surface early in the vehicle’s life.
2. Natural Degradation Over Time: An EV battery is similar to a phone battery in concept but ages much more slowly. While your phone might lose significant capacity in two years, an EV battery can take ten to twenty years to reach a 70 percent capacity threshold. Most warranties guarantee replacement if capacity falls below 70 percent during the warranty period.
3. Accident or Damage: Debris impacts, collisions, or severe underbody damage can harm a battery pack. These situations typically fall under insurance coverage.
How Battery Aging Affects Driving Range
Recurrent uses telematics data and machine learning to estimate how much range owners can expect after several years. It’s crucial to distinguish between range availability and battery degradation.
Range availability is what a driver experiences. Some automakers maintain 100 percent range for five years by managing battery buffer zones and issuing software updates. Meanwhile, the underlying battery may still be aging internally. The result is a consistent, predictable driving experience even as chemistry changes occur behind the scenes.
Because most EVs exceed their EPA ratings during their first couple of years, many drivers actually enjoy more range than advertised early on. That extra buffer can compensate for the gradual stabilization period that follows.
What Happens to Old EV Batteries?
As EV adoption grows, so does the question of what happens to aging battery packs. Even when a battery is no longer suitable for road use, it typically retains a significant portion of its capacity. Those packs can be repurposed for energy storage applications, such as:
- Home backup systems
- Solar storage
- Grid-level energy storage
Reusing batteries extends their lifespan and reduces the overall environmental impact of EV technology.
The Bottom Line for EV Buyers
The takeaway from Recurrent’s latest study is ultimately reassuring: range loss in modern EVs is minimal and predictable. Most drivers will not see meaningful degradation for many years, and even vehicles with more noticeable range loss still retain well over 90 percent of their original capability after three years.
Automakers are also becoming more sophisticated in managing heat, charging behavior, and reserve capacity. Combined with strong warranties and falling replacement rates, today’s EVs offer reliability that exceeds the expectations set by early models.
As EV technology pushes forward, buyers can feel confident that battery aging should not be a major roadblock in the ownership experience. The data shows a simple truth: modern electric vehicles are built to last.
