That can help to keep the costs of running an electric car down. There are still parts which can go wrong, most of the electric car breakdowns the AA see are caused by punctures or issues with the 12v battery. With an electric car, you might also need to maintain or replace the cabin air filter (also known as a pollen filter), brake fluid or air conditioning. Conventional internal combustion engines (ICE) have hundreds of moving parts. That means there’s a lot that could potentially go wrong over a petrol or diesel car’s lifetime. Electric motors only have a handful of parts in comparison, which can result in less maintenance for electric cars. But electric vehicles (EVs) do have complex electrical components.