In recent years, it has been harder to find electric and hybrid car repair experts just like Mercedes mechanics back in the 1980s. This phenomenon has made green car drivers incur higher repair bills than if they owned a normal gasoline car. The trend is now moving in the other direction, according to CarMD study of repairs in 2014. As more mechanics gain knowledge on handling gas-electric systems and the costs of equipment drops, hybrid repair costs are going down. CarMD is currently compiling its annual Vehicle Health index, which has tracked repair information for four years. A total of 98,000 repairs were sorted through for 2015 so as to give consumers and fleet managers relevant information on gauging the total cost of vehicle ownership. Fortunately, in 2014 most repairs held constant with the most common diagnostic services required in any car on the road being the “check engine sensor.”

As the cost of labor and general parts remained constant, hybrid-car repair costs slightly dropped as common fixes became normal services in more shops and more mechanics learned to handle hybrid car systems. As per the last check, there was only one hybrid car repair ranked among the top ten most expensive fixes. This was contrary the previous year where three hybrid repairs appeared at the top ten ranks. The cost of battery replacement increased by 11 percent, though the price of inverter assembly replacement has for the last five years been plummeting. For 2010, the cost of repair was $7,300; in 2011 it was $4,098, $3,927 in 2013 and $1,357 in 2014. The list of ten costliest repairs was equally important for car owners. The cost of transmission assembly replacement topped the list in 2014, followed by the cost of replacing the engine. Transmission repair was ranked third costliest. The data was a good reminder of the lower cost of ownership associated with electric vehicles.

Coverhound insurance released a report last fall on a study that indicated that it was cheaper to insure electric cars compared to their gasoline counterparts. The major reason given was that the electric drivetrain did not have moving parts or a transmission, which are the two most expensive parts to repair. Most studies have shown that the labor is the main expense incurred in hybrid and electric vehicle repairs. It is therefore essential for car consumers hunting for new cars to take the full ownership cost into consideration. This ranges from operation to available incentives, as well as the repair costs.