At a time when motorists are questioning the real cost of owning a vehicle, a comparative simulation of maintenance costs over eight years between three BMW models provides clear insight.
This is an argument that salespeople often use in dealerships: ‘Electric cars are more expensive to buy, but cheaper to maintain.’ It’s a promise that only those who believe in it are bound by. So we wondered if this was actually true. To find out, we asked Bilia, a dealership that sells premium BMW and Mini brands, to simulate the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance for a 100% electric X1 (the iX1), a hybrid (the X1 25e) and a combustion engine (the X1 20i). This was done over a period of eight years, which is the average age of a car in Luxembourg. It should be noted that this simulation does not take into account the driver’s driving style and assumes that they take good care of their vehicle, which has not experienced any mechanical or technical problems during this period.
The result is clear: a difference of 42%.
Over a period of eight years or 160,000 km, the total maintenance cost amounts to €6,460 for the BMW iX1 (100% electric) in four visits to the garage. The biggest expenses are tyres and brake discs.
Over the same period – seven years and six months or 150,000 km – the total maintenance cost for the BMW X1 25e (plug-in hybrid) amounts to £7,730 over five visits to the garage. While the biggest expenses are also tyres and brake discs, engine oil changes, spark plugs and fuel filters must also be added.
Finally, the BMW X1 20i (petrol) requires servicing almost every year (seven visits to the garage), bringing the total cost of maintenance over almost eight years to £11,130. This represents a difference of 42% compared to the electric model. The hybrid, which is supposed to combine the advantages of both worlds, remains 21.6% more expensive to maintain than the electric model.
| iX1 ( 100% électrique) | X1 25e (Plug-in-hybri) | X1 20i (Thermique) | |||
| 2 ans ou 40 000 km | 370,00 € | 1 an & 6 mois ou 30 000 km | 440,00 € | 1 an & 6 mois ou 30 000 km | 440,00 € |
| 4 ans ou 80 000 km | 2 520,00 € | 3 ans ou 80 000 km | 2 980,00 € | 2 ans & 6 mois ou 50 000 km | 1 950,00 € |
| 6 ans ou 120 000 km | 370,00 € | 4 as & 6mois ans ou 120 000 km | 640,00 € | 3 ans ou 60 000 km | 1 030,00 € |
| 8 ans ou 160 000 km | 3 570,00 € | 6 ans ou 120 000 km | 4 230,00 € | 4 ans & 6 mois ou 90 000 km | 1 090,00 € |
| 6 830,00 € | 7 ans & 6 mois ou 150 000 km | 440,00 € | 5 ans ou 100 000 km | 3 200,00 € | |
| 8 730,00 € | 6 ans ou 120 000 km | 1 030,00 € | |||
| 7 ans & 6 mois ou 150 000 km | 2 390,00 € | ||||
| 11 130,00 € | |||||
This is an argument that salespeople often use in dealerships: ‘Electric cars are more expensive to buy, but cheaper to maintain.’ It’s a promise that only those who believe in it are bound by. So we wondered if this was actually true. To find out, we asked Bilia, a dealership that sells premium BMW and Mini brands, to simulate the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance for a 100% electric X1 (the iX1), a hybrid (the X1 25e) and a combustion engine (the X1 20i). This was done over a period of eight years, which is the average age of a car in Luxembourg. It should be noted that this simulation does not take into account the driver’s driving style and assumes that they take good care of their vehicle, which has not experienced any mechanical or technical problems during this period.
The result is clear: a difference of 42%.
Over a period of eight years or 160,000 km, the total maintenance cost amounts to €6,460 for the BMW iX1 (100% electric) in four visits to the garage. The biggest expenses are tyres and brake discs.
Over the same period – seven years and six months or 150,000 km – the total maintenance cost for the BMW X1 25e (plug-in hybrid) amounts to £7,730 over five visits to the garage. While the biggest expenses are also tyres and brake discs, engine oil changes, spark plugs and fuel filters must also be added.
Finally, the BMW X1 20i (petrol) requires servicing almost every year (seven visits to the garage), bringing the total cost of maintenance over almost eight years to £11,130. This represents a difference of 42% compared to the electric model. The hybrid, which is supposed to combine the advantages of both worlds, remains 21.6% more expensive to maintain than the electric model.
| Renault 5 (100% électrique) | Clio (Thermique) | Symbioz (Hybrid) | |||
| 2 ans ou 30 000 km | 200,00 € | 2 ans ou 30 000 km | 420,00 € | 2 ans ou 30 000 km | 420,00 € |
| 4 ans ou 60 000 km | 250,00 € | 4 ans ou 60 000 km | 700,00 € | 4 ans ou 60 000 km | 900,00 € |
| 6 ans ou 90 000 km | 700,00 € | 6 ans ou 90 000 km | 420,00 € | 6 ans ou 90 000 km | 420,00 € |
| 8 ans ou 120 000 km | 250,00 € | 8 ans ou 120 000 km | 700,00 € | 8 ans ou 120 000 km | 900,00 € |
| 1 400,00 € | 2 240,00 € | 2 640,00 € | |||
