The world is quickly transitioning to EVs, and car brands like Tesla and Rivian are leading the way toward a cleaner and greener future. With that being said, EVs are not flawless. They solve many of the problems of gas-powered cars, but they also have their own unique issues like costly battery repairs or even replacements. But how much does it cost to replace an EV battery if you had to pay for it out of pocket? 

The global push toward an EV world

Climate change is already affecting a lot of people, so the race is on to clean up our world. The main push is to replace gas and diesel cars with battery electric vehicles in terms of transportation. Many customers are already making this switch, but soon, they won’t really have much of a choice. Governments are setting deadlines for when the last new gas-powered car can be sold, which is around 2035. 

As such, almost every automaker has a plan to switch over to EVs. While hydrogen EVs are still in the race, it’s pretty clear that battery EVs will be what most people are buying. Unfortunately, while battery EVs have a lot of positives compared to gas and hydrogen-powered cars, there’s one thing many people fear, and that’s replacing their EV’s battery.

A look at how much it might cost to replace your EV’s battery

The fear of EV battery replacement is a new one for many, and it is not cheap. That being said, the price of a battery replacement will vary. Like many things in the auto industry, batteries are affected by supply chain problems, so their prices are higher now than usual.

Regardless, according to SlashGear, replacing the battery for the Hyundai Ioniq, for example, will cost about $2,850. Kelley Blue Book wrote that replacing the battery in a Toyota Prius would also cost in the same ballpark, somewhere around $2,700 total. Unfortunately, those numbers are on the lower end of the spectrum. Nissan Leaf owners, despite having bought the cheapest EV right now with its $27,000 price tag, will need about $6,200 to replace the Leaf’s battery.

Tesla owners have it even worse. SlashGear wrote that replacing the battery in a Model 3 may cost just under $16,000. For reference, a Model 3 starts at about $47,000, so owners will have to spend a decent amount of the car’s value just to replace its battery.

High battery replacement costs aren’t EV’s only issue

The good news is that battery replacement costs are projected to decline as batteries become cheaper. However, EV owners aren’t out of the woods yet, as EVs will face other issues that’ll need to be addressed. Range anxiety, which is the fear of running out of juice before an EV gets to a charging station, is real, and it affects many EV owners.

Two solutions to range anxiety are getting more range and installing more charging stations. Unfortunately, this is another issue with EVs, as there are currently not many charging stations outside of California and other EV-loving places. Charging stations in rural areas are virtually nonexistent. But of course, this is a solvable issue with a lot of funds and infrastructure. The country will simply need to build more charging stations, which it is in the process of doing.

There are also mobile charging stations in some areas for those that overestimate what their battery can do. Regardless, the U.S. is clearly on its way to a greener world.