Tusker fleet data reveals the truth about EV fires

Salary sacrifice specialist Tusker has analysed data from its fleet of more than 30,000 electric vehicles (EVs) to understand if there is any truth behind some of the commonly shared myths surrounding them.

The Lloyds-owned business claims that misinformation is being spread widely on social media and even being published by national newspapers.

One of the most commonly shared EV myths is that they regularly catch fire. While it’s no secret that EV fires present an increased danger once the battery starts burning, Tusker’s data proves that the likelihood of an EV catching fire is significantly less than that of a petrol or diesel car.

In fact, the company’s insurance records show that not a single one of the EVs on its fleet have caught fire.

Acknowledging that some fires are inevitable – not least due to arson, which is the cause of around 65% of car fires each year – Tusker’s managing director Kit Wisdom told Fleet News: “We had two or three fires because somebody was smoking carelessly in a vehicle. Another one resulted out of the Luton Airport Blaze, one of our vehicles was parked there and that was destroyed as a result of that.

“But this is the normal occurrence of fire than you would expect. Nothing has been caused, at least from our data, as a result of any issue with an electric vehicle.”

A study by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency backs up Tusker’s findings. It concluded that EVs are 20 times less likely to catch fire than petrol and diesel cars.

With data corroborated from a US insurer, the study found that EVs suffer 25 fires per 100,000 sold.

Petrol or diesel vehicles were found to experience 1,530 fires per 100,000, with hybrid vehicles at a notably higher risk of 3,475 fires per 100,000​​​​.

Do EVs regularly run out of electricity?

The second myth highlighted by Tusker was that EV drivers often run out of electricity, leaving them stranded.

No one is denying that an EV with a flat battery is bit more tricky to get going again than a petrol or diesel car with a dry tank, but Tusker’s data shows that the number of its customers who ran out of juice in their EV was the same as the number who ran out of fuel.

Wisdom said: “Our stats shows that most people aren't running out of electricity. It's a tiny, tiny percent and it's pretty much the same as people who run out of fuel.

“There are always going to be some careless people out there, but this is this is not a phenomenon that we're seeing in our fleet.”

Independent data from The AA shows that breakdown callouts for depleted EV batteries are in steep decline. In the 12-month period to October 2023, of all electric car call outs, 2.3% were down to batteries having no - or limited – charge.

This figure is down from 8.3% in 2015 and 4.3% in 2021. The AA predicts the number will fall to 1% this year.

Are EV drivers returning to petrol and diesel cars?

Electric car drivers are returning to petrol and diesel vehicles “in their droves”, according to some recent reports in the media. Tusker surveys its drivers every year and in its 2023 survey, 91% of EV drivers were either ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with their current EV.

Data from Auto Trader correlates very closely with Tusker’s findings – it found EVs has a circa 90% satisfaction rate.

Wisdom explained: “In terms of people who finish an agreement with us and then enter into another one for a new car, 92% of EV drivers who came to the end of their agreement in 2023 went back into another EV and 6% went into a hybrid. So, there's only a tiny percentage of people who are choosing to go back to a petrol vehicle or diesel vehicle.”

Fleet data plays an important role in changing attitudes to EVs

EV sales are growing year-on-year, but only around a fifth of the new models registered in 2023 were bought by private individuals. The majority went to fleet customers, where drivers choosing EVs benefit from a favourable benefit-in-kind tax regime.

Tusker believes that large fleets can make a difference by sharing data and promoting the positive attributes of EVs.

It has partnered with Quentin Willson, automotive journalist and campaigner, to spread the word.

He said: “Private buyers still aren't aware of what's happened in terms of battery life, reliability, cost of ownership, and all that sort of stuff.

“The PM didn't do anybody any favours by rolling back the 2030 deadline to 2035 because it kind of taught people that they don't need to buy an electric car and can buy petrol or diesel and will be fine for the next 11 years.

“That hasn't helped demand and if you throw in all this misinformation, it's a real block for people. That's our aspirational heartland, to convince consumers that these cars aren't a threat, they can run them and they can save money.”

Among the other EV myths highlighted by Tusker were that EV’s are uninsurable, EV’s cost more to run and EVs are too expensive.

In certain cases, there may be some people who benefit less from making the switch, especially if they have particular requirements from their vehicle or do very little mileage to offset the increased purchase costs.

But Tusker’s data does show that, on average, the servicing costs for an EV are 65% lower than a diesel vehicle and 37% lower than a petrol vehicle.

It also claims that salary sacrifice schemes provide drivers with a single, fixed monthly cost, which is often cheaper than even a used petrol or diesel car.