Even though EVs are evolving and developing at a brisk pace, some of them are just highly unreliable and expensive to maintain.

Electric cars have fewer internal components and moving parts, which might proffer the notion that they are more reliable than traditional gas-powered ones. However, you should take into consideration the fact that internal combustion engines have been around for more than 150 years, and they have currently hit the zenith of evolution. On the contrary, the first mass-produced electric car came out less than thirty years ago and this means that compared to gas-powered cars, EVs are still in their early phase of development. Due to this and because of the utilization of newer technologies, many electric cars have been found to be unreliable and less durable.

This list of the most unreliable electric cars includes various models from different brands ranging throughout the last decade. These cars have been chosen based on their average maintenance cost delineated by RepairPal, while also considering the major reliability issues, and complaints reported against them on Carcomplaints.com and the NHTSA website.

For the 2015 model year, Kia introduced the electric version of their mini wagon, the Kia Soul. The initial two model years of the Kia Soul EV have been found to be plagued with some serious reliability concerns. The 2015 model has been through five recalls, and the two most critical ones among them were due to the high chances of the accelerator pedal fracturing and the steering gear separating. Brake failure is the number one issue reported against the 2016 Kia Soul EV on Carcomplaints.com, which is also equally alarming.

The Ford Focus Electric can be considered the brand’s first modern EV, and it was introduced back in 2012. The first two model years of the electric hatch are free of major issues, while the 2014 Ford Focus Electric has some serious problems associated to it on Carcomplaints.com. The most severe issue reported is that the car hesitates to accelerate, which could result in a crash if it happens unexpectedly.

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From 2015 to 2019 Volkswagen produced an electrified version of their iconic Golf hatchback named the Volkswagen e-Golf. The e-Golf unlike the regular one isn’t a super-desirable car, and its first couple of iterations are affected by some noteworthy issues. The electric motors of all three models are prone to shutting down unexpectedly, and the 2015 e-Golf has also been recalled over this. Other issues reported on Carcomplaints.com include not charging and not starting up, which are also clearly major concerns.

Before every automaker dove into EV production and prior to the market domination of Tesla, there was the Nissan Leaf. It arrived in 2011 as the first affordable electric car and soon rose to become the most popular EV on the market. However, the first few model years of the Nissan Leaf weren’t without reliability concerns. Failure of the electric motor, the battery not charging, loss of battery capacity, and the occupant detection system malfunctioning are the gravest issues associated with it. On top of that, a dramatic drop in range during the winter has also been reported by Carcomplaints.com.

The cheapest car the brand offers, the Tesla Model 3 debuted in 2017 while the dual-motor AWD version came out in 2018 and 2019 saw the birth of the cheaper, standard-range version. The 2018 and 2019 models of the 3 are notorious, with a host of issues reported against them. The most hazardous of them is ‘unintended acceleration,’ which is the number one problem with the 2019 Tesla Model 3. There are also 300+ complaints registered against it on NHTSA, while there are 473 of them lodged against the 2018 Tesla Model 3.

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The Chevrolet Bolt is an affordable compact EV sustaining consistently good sales numbers. The current, initial generation of the Chevrolet Bolt was launched in 2017 and the very first model year of the car is best avoided as it is bedeviled by troubles. According to the NHTSA, the 2017 Chevy Bolt was recalled thrice due to high-priority fire hazard warnings. Two of these recalls were because the high-voltage battery itself is prone to catching fire, whereas the third one was due to the risk of fire after a crash.

Produced from 2014 to 2017, the short-lived Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric was discontinued in order to pave the way for the brand’s newer EQ line of electric vehicles. The very first model year of this firstborn production EV of Mercedes has a bad reputation for reliability. Malfunction of the electric motor itself and the battery failing are the top concerns related to the 2014 B-Class electric on Carcomplaints.com, making this Mercedes one to steer clear of when looking for an EV among used cars.

You might perceive the current Tesla Model S as the brand’s crown jewel speedster, and you might even be aware of the build quality issues associated with it. However, earlier iterations of the Model S were prone to much more severe reliability problems compared to the newer ones, with the 2013 model being the most notorious of them all. It has got more than 400 complaints to its name on the NHTSA website and has been recalled seven times due to some serious reliability concerns. According to Carcomplaints.com, complete suspension failure is the most critical problem reported.

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The Audi e-tron was an all-new model introduced in 2019 and this particular model year of the luxury SUV is best avoided. While it was only recalled once, it was because of a rare chance for the battery to short-circuit. Along with this, the high average annual maintenance cost of $987 and the major issues reported on Carcomplaints.com which are suspension failure and sunroof leakage further solidify the unreliable reputation of the 2019 Audi e-tron.

According to RepairPal, this teeny-tiny hatchback has an average annual repair cost of $1,173 which is higher than much larger luxury electric cars on this list. This places the 2017 BMW i3 in the first (or worst) place. As reported by Carcomplaints.com, the pressing reliability concerns of the 2017 BMW i3 include A/C compressor failure which can cost you around $2,414 to fix, and adaptive cruise control failure.

Amal Shaw is a Visual Communication graduate and automotive aficionado. He is curious and enthusiastic about everything automotive, ranging from motorcycles to sports cars and pickup trucks.