Your Questions Answered: Why do EVs still need regular services?

Hi, as I live in a semi-rural town, can you please recommend a medium sized SUV that comes with a full-size spare. Or one that will fit a full-size spare, if I choose to buy it as an extra. I don't want to have to use valuable boot space to hold the spare tyre. I don't feel?safe or comfortable driving with only a repair kit or even?an emergency spare, as my understanding is that you are not supposed to travel too far with one of these on the vehicle. My preference would be for it to be $40,000 or less. However, I could go a little higher for the right vehicle. Your help would be much appreciated. – Denise

Hi Denise, as you probably already realise, there are not many medium SUVs that come standard with a full-size spare wheel anymore. Many have only a tyre repair kit, or a speed-limited space saver spare wheel. Even within a specific model range, you soon discover some variants do have a full-size spare wheel – but others miss out, having a space saver or puncture repair kit instead (for example, a hybrid model lacks the space for a full size spare whereas the petrol alternative doesn't).

Of the more popular medium SUVs that have a standard full-size spare wheel just a tick over your $40K budget (once you add on-road costs), you have the Hyundai Tucson (2.0 petrol from $39,100 plus ORCs) and the Mitsubishi Outlander (ES five-seat only from $39,990 plus ORCs). There is also the Jaecoo J7, but it only has a full-size spare in the AWD Ridge petrol model, which is $42,990 drive away (although a peek at carsales shows there are some deals at the moment that would bring the price down to your budget). There are other medium SUVs with a full-size spare that we’d suggest are worth a look, if you’re prepared to up your spend. The Toyota RAV4 GX 2WD ($45,990 plus ORCs) has a full-size spare available as a $300 option. The Subaru Forester (except the hybrid model) has a full-size spare, but the range starts at $43,490 (plus ORCs).

I have been told that EVs barely need any maintenance because there are fewer moving parts. But then I heard that they still need coolant and oil changes. Is that true? If they are electric, why do they need maintenance like a petrol car? – Jan

Hey Jan, a battery electric vehicle still needs to be maintained, it is just that there are a great deal fewer items that need to be ticked off the consumables list during servicing. There is no engine oil, spark plugs, air filter, oil filter or fuel filter to replace as there is with a petrol vehicle.

There is transmission ‘oil’ in an EV, but that is generally an item that requires replacement infrequently. Coolant (for battery cooling) does need replacement, about every two-three years. Brake fluid also needs replacement as it would in a petrol vehicle, so every two years. Brake rotors and pads are also EV consumables, but generally they last much longer than a petrol car’s brakes would because of the EV’s regenerative braking taking some of the load off the brake system. Wiper blades, cabin filter and washer fluid also service items for an EV just as they are for a petrol car. The only consumable item (and not a scheduled service maintenance item) that might be required more often for an EV is tyres, as (again, we’re generalising here) EVs tend to be heavier than an equivalent petrol vehicle.

I am looking to buy a Lexus GX 550 and it has OTA capacity. I have heard that if a car has OTA it can be a problem for security and can brick the car. Is OTA safe? – Aaron

Hey Aaron, while we have had over-the-air (OTA) updates for a long time for devices such as computers and smartphones, this is an interesting and new(ish) technology for vehicles, and yes it has vulnerabilities that the car industry is well aware of and has to mitigate. OTA updates allow convenient software updates for things like maps, safety systems and all manner of customisable features to be added – all without the need to book into a service centre. If you are asking if the OTA updates are safe for you to undertake, then generally speaking yes, they are – provided that you have good cellular network reception when you’re updating the vehicle and you don’t interrupt the update. OTA updates typically require the vehicle to be off for the duration, which means that you have to wait until the update is done to use your vehicle. It might mean making sure you don’t need to drive the car for a couple of hours while the update is taking place.

If you are referring to the recently announced 2023-2025 Lexus GX 550 safety recall (the issue being the dash cluster not displaying important safety information such as oil pressure) Lexus has offered the option for owners to either present the vehicle at a Lexus service centre for the fix or instead undertake the OTA update, taking between 60-90 minutes to complete.

As for personal data security in cars more generally, it’s a bit of a minefield. According to the Mozilla Foundation, the automotive industry is the worst product category for protecting personal data.

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au