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Can I leave an electric car for months at a time without the battery going flat?
I'm considering buying a secondhand electric car but I go away for three months every winter. Will the battery go flat and cause irreparable damage if I leave it so long? I currently own a 2011 Mitsubishi ASX and all I do is disconnect the battery as I don't have a garage to connect a trickle charge. For the past three years, I have left it and it always restarts by just reconnecting the battery. I take care to drive off slowly and gently apply brakes etc.
Asked on 30 March 2020 by Robert Heywood
Answered by
Andrew Brady
The amount of 'vampire drain' will depend on the model but, if you leave it fully charged, we doubt it'll drain fully in three months. In the worst case scenario, we expect it'd lose around one per cent of charge a day, meaning it'll be almost entirely flat by the time you return - although most owners report much smaller reductions in charge while they're not using their cars. If it is flat, an overnight recharge should have it back up and running again. With fewer moving parts compared to a petrol or diesel model, EVs are, in theory, better suited to being left for long periods.
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