A new study from CDK Global shows rising EV satisfaction, but also longer service times and growing owner frustration
- Only 28% of EV owners got same-day service in 2024, down from 40% in 2023.
- Nearly one third of EV owners say their service takes longer than gas vehicles.
- Mobile EV service grew to 19 percent of owners using technicians at home.
As electric vehicle become more common, the conversation is shifting from how many are being sold to how well they’re being supported. A new study suggests that dealership service departments may not be keeping up.
Also: EV Crash Claims Jump 38%, And Repairs Are Pricier Than Ever
Based on customer survey data, the report reveals that 82 percent of EV buyers are open to purchasing another one. What’s shocking, though, is that this high level of satisfaction comes despite 85 percent needing some form of dealership service within the first year.
In the first half of 2025, more than 607,000 electric vehicles were sold in the United States, setting a new record. That surge may partly reflect a rush to buy before federal incentives begin phasing out. Those growing adoption numbers might make a concerning statistic even more challenging, too. EV owners who were able to get same-day service for their cars dropped from 40 percent in 2023 to just 28 percent in 2024.
Wait Times Are Increasing
That’s one of many data points we’re learning about via a new study from CDK Global. It also tells us that owners who had to wait three days or more jumped from 9 percent to 14 percent between those two years.
Nearly a third of EV owners said servicing their electric vehicle took longer than a gas-powered one, with non-Tesla drivers feeling the wait more acutely. According to CDK, 34 percent of non-Tesla owners reported longer service times, compared to just 23 percent of Tesla owners. On the bright side, 53 percent of non-Tesla drivers said EV service cost less than gas vehicle maintenance, compared to 41 percent of Tesla owners.
“We know dealers are prepared for EV service, but our most recent findings show EV owners are waiting longer to have their cars serviced, and it’s taking multiple visits to have their issue resolved,” David Thomas, director of content marketing and automotive industry analyst at CDK, told Auto News.
How Long Did EV Service Take from Drop-Off to Completion?
While lots of owners had their issues fixed in a single trip, repeat visits to the dealer are on the rise. Just 65 percent of non-Tesla owners reported one-and-done service experiences. A whopping 21 percent needed four or five visits to fix their problem. That certainly sounds familiar, given some of the strange service issues we’ve covered here.
Not All the News Is Bad
The study isn’t without its upsides, though. Only 13 percent of EV owners said they had to pay out of pocket for service. 16 percent of appointments were recall-related, and that figure split evenly between Tesla and other brands.
Mobile service is also expanding, with 19 percent of owners reporting that a technician came to them to work on their car in 2024, up from 14 percent the year before. Dealer pickups are slowly gaining traction as well, climbing from 6 percent in 2023 to 9 percent in 2024.
Finally, it’s important to point out that this study is entirely based on customer surveys. These are electric vehicle owners, so while they do have first-hand experience, the data gathered here isn’t unquestionable. As is the case with any survey, bias is a major concern and almost certainly a factor in the results. That said, some statistics mentioned here, like how long service took, are likely good indicators of the average ownership experience.
