Family regret buying electric car after battery replacement costs way more than vehicle itself
A family regrets buying an electric car after the battery replacement winds up costing way more than the vehicle itself.
The family first decided to purchase it for a 17-year-old as her first car.
But they went on to regret it after they were forced to fork out for a new battery.
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Avery Siwinski's family bought her the vehicle back in 2022 so she could get herself to school.
It was a 2014 Ford Focus Electric with just 60,000 miles on it at the time of purchase.
Everything was going well at first, but six months in, problems arose.
Speaking to 10 Tampa Bay, the teen from Florida said: “I was really excited. And it was fine at first, I loved it so much, it was small and quiet.”
However, she went on to explain that it ‘all of a sudden just stopped working’.
Taking the car to a mechanic, it was discovered that the battery had died.
While this wouldn’t normally be an issue, Ford had discontinued the model and had stopped producing the batteries.
This meant that finding a replacement for Avery’s car wouldn’t come cheap.
The new battery cost a whopping $14,000, not including the installation costs.
She said: “I know that Ford stopped making the car but it's frustrating that they stopped making the battery too, so it left hundreds of people without a car to use.”
Sadly, Avery’s dad had recently died of cancer and so her grandfather Ray decided to step in and help her with the car breakdown.
He told the outlet: “It turns out this is a pretty common problem with this particular car. The Ford dealership advised us that we could replace the battery, it would only cost $14,000.”
While the fact that Ford no longer makes the model of car Avery had will have contributed towards the price of the battery, electric car batteries in general cost substantially more money than a non-EV’s.
Your average car battery might send you back anywhere between $185 to $400, while an electric car’s battery might cost as much as $20,000, as per Digital Trends.
Avery’s grandfather went on to warn other buyers to keep in mind that expensive battery replacements aren't unique to Ford Focus owners.
He explained: “If you're buying a new one, you have to realise there is no second hand market out there because manufacturers aren't supporting the cars.”
The family advised people to do their research before buying an electric vehicle so that you don’t run into the same problem they did.
LADbible Group has contacted Ford for a comment.