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EV batteries last longer as US sales slide
EVs retain 95% of their range after five years, but US sales fell 28% in June as policy and battery-replacement fears weigh on demand.
Image: TNW
Modern EV batteries are holding onto far more range than many buyers expect. Recurrent found that electric vehicles retain an average of 97% of their original range after three years and 95% after five years. For a 2026 model rated at 325 miles, that would mean roughly 309 miles of range remaining after five years of driving.
A separate Recurrent analysis found that only three out of every 1,000 EVs built from 2022 onward required a battery replacement. Data from Geotab, based on more than 22,700 vehicles, pointed to a similar result, with average battery degradation running at just over 2% per year.
Viet Nguyen-Tien, an EV researcher at the London School of Economics, told The Wall Street Journal that advances in battery chemistry, thermal regulation, and battery-management systems have made current packs substantially more durable than early-generation batteries. The Nissan Leaf, launched in 2010, developed a reputation for rapid degradation.
Yet battery fears remain a major barrier. In a 2026 AAA survey, 56% of people unlikely to buy an EV cited the cost of repairing or replacing the battery as their top concern. The newer data suggests that concern is increasingly out of step with real-world performance.
US EV sales continue to weaken
That reassurance has not translated into stronger new-car sales. Cox Automotive estimates that Americans bought about 75,000 new EVs in June, down nearly 28% from the same month a year earlier. EVs accounted for just over 5% of total new-vehicle sales.
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A Deloitte survey earlier this year found that only 7% of Americans wanted their next car to be electric. Used EV sales moved in the opposite direction, rising by more than 20% in June, according to Cox Automotive.
Policy has played a central role in the decline. The Trump administration allowed the $7,500 federal EV tax credit to expire last September and rolled back emissions regulations. Ford CEO Jim Farley warned that the change could cut EV demand in half. Several automakers have since canceled or paused US EV models.
Edmunds reported that higher gas prices had begun lifting consumer interest earlier this year, but not enough to reverse the broader decline. The technology has largely answered the battery-life question; the market is now struggling to persuade buyers—and give them a financial reason—to act on that answer.
Published July 25, 2026, 3:28 pm UTC
Frontier Editor
Dan is our resident futurist, covering electric mobility, space exploration, and the smart home. He's interested in atoms just as much as bits. Whether it's a new battery chemistry, a reusable rocket, or a protocol that finally makes IoT devices talk to each other, Dan breaks down the engineering that pushes humanity forward.
via TNW
