A multi-decade long question lingering over hybrids and fully electric vehicles is how long the batteries last and how much they cost to replace. Many internal combustion engine vehicle drivers love to brag about how their car has over 200,000 miles with “just regular oil changes.” EV drivers have less to worry about now according to a new study, but they could be doing better if they changed their charging habits.

EVs heavily using North America DC “fast-charging” public charging stations suffer from almost twice the level of battery degradation than the similar vehicles charging at less than 100 kW, according to a study by Geotab, released this month. Geotab, which monitors battery life in EVs, said its annual survey showed a 2.3% annual loss in initial capacity among 21 models. Those using fast-charging stations more than 12% per cycle showed an average 2.5% annual loss, twice as high as EVs using DC charging less than 12% of the time.

That might seem obvious to those who know the higher the charging speed the harder it is on an EV battery (same usually goes for electronic devices), but Geotab’s 2025 study showed the rate of battery degradation increased from two years prior when it was just 1.8% annually. While the firm admits it tests a larger and aging pool, it throws responsibility at an increase in DC fast charging use among the growing EV population.

Still, it’s not all bad news. Geotab concludes that EV batteries are lasting well beyond initial expectations and likely beyond the typical life of a vehicle on U.S. roads, which was nearly 13 years as of last year, according to S&P Global.

“Our latest data shows that batteries are still lasting well beyond the replacement cycles most fleets plan for,” ​​said Charlotte Argue, Geotab’s Senior Manager of Sustainable Mobility. “What has changed is that charging behavior now plays a much bigger role in how quickly batteries age, giving operators an opportunity to manage long-term risk through smart charging strategies.”

What this study reinforces is that public fast-charging stations are ideal for long highway trips where charging from 10% to 80% relatively quickly to get back on the road. That’s why many are built or planned where gas stations would be or attached to convenience stores like the partnership Mercedes-Benz and Buc-ee’s created in 2023.

And DC fast-charging stations are considerably more expensive than Level 2 ones, let alone charging at home for some people. According to Stable.Auto, the national average price at a Level 2 public charging station between July 2024 and July 2025 was 25 cents per kWh versus 47 cents for DC fast charging. Home charging averaged just 18 cents per kWh.

Studies such as Geotab’s show Level 2 charging still serves a useful role in new public charging stations — malls, office parks, street parking come to mind —  where drivers away from home and in need of some juice can power up usually more inexpensively and prolong battery life.