Electric vehicles were once hailed as low-maintenance marvels, but real-world performance is revealing a different story — with breakdowns, battery failures, and tech glitches on the rise.
New data shows EVs are slightly more prone to breakdowns and less likely to be fixed on the roadside compared to gas and hybrid cars, often due to charging issues and software malfunctions.
Frustrations are mounting over digital dashboards, malfunctioning tech, and massive recalls, highlighting the importance of tech reliability, recall awareness, and regular maintenance for today’s drivers.
When electric cars began gliding silently into the marketplace, there was a brief moment of adulation. Not only were they expected to save gas (uh, natch) but also to be nearly trouble-free since there are so few moving parts.
Of course, anyone who has been near a laptop or smartphone knows that moving parts aren't normally the trouble spot. Think dead batteries and software glitches just for starters.
So it's perhaps not surprising that electric vehicles (EVs) are turning out to be just about as temperamental, if not more so, than their gas-powered cousins. A recent UK survey of nearly 30,000 drivers found that 11% of EV owners reported breakdowns in the past two years — slightly higher than gas owners — with more EVs needing towing due to dead batteries, charging glitches, or technical malfunctions.
In contrast, 10.7% of gas-powered cars needed to be towed, 14% of hybrids and 15% of diesel vehicles.
The survey also found that EVs are the least likely cars to be fixed at the roadside: just 25% were given a permanent fix that enabled the driver to continue with their journey, while 40% of gas car owners were able to drive away after a quick fix.
Digital dashboards, touchscreens
Also causing consternation are the delicate little touchscreens, touch-sensitive faux buttons and ambient lighting, all deemed distracting and non-intuitive or just plain silly by many drivers.
User satisfaction with in-car controls dropped from 79% (2015) to 56% (2024), prompting some brands to reintroduce physical switches, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report. For example, new Toyota Camry owners complain that wireless CarPlay/Android Auto won't auto-connect, and they've encountered persistent squeaks, confusing digital clusters, and malfunctioning lane-centering systems, a New York Post story related.
Rearview cameras, recalls
Rearview cameras are another flashpoint for many motorists. Looking over your shoulder doesn't work too well in many of today's cars with swooping rooflines and when cameras freeze or refused to come on, backing up gets tricky. Ford recently recalled over 1 million cars to fix the cameras. As is now common, the recalls were carried out remotely, or at least were supposed to have been.
Many recalls these days are unusually large, like Ford's 1 million mirror snag. But not all can be fixed remotely, like one from Kia, which has launched a major recall to fix a fuel pump problem that can cause the engine to stall.
Looking through other reports of annoyances and disasters, we found plenty of examples, including these:
- 2025 Toyota Camry: Proactive Drive Assist (PDA) causing rough driving experiences.
2025 Toyota Tacoma & Hyundai Tucson: Early electrical/transmission glitches, brake hose leaks and forward-collision/ADAS sensor errors lemonlawexperts.com
Electrical Failures: Alternator issues causing flickering lights or hard starts remain among the top breakdown causes for both gas and electric vehicles
What this means for drivers:
So, if there's a message in this rather depressing catalog of mishaps and design oversights, it would include these tips:
EV owners should stay alert for breakdown warnings and consider emergency kits; roadside help for EVs may not get you back on the road immediately.
When choosing new cars, evaluate how well tech and infotainment work—user-friendliness matters. Take a test drive and pay particular attention to the digital controls.
Check recall notices—especially for Ford, Kia, Toyota, and Hyundai models—and act promptly.
Schedule regular upkeep, including checks on alternators and ADAS sensors, to prevent overheating issues or warranty headaches.