The Burrow
Jan 29, 2026
Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly common sights on roads across the world, with sales of EVs exceeding 17 million globally in 2024.1 Whilst adoption has been steadily growing, some still remain cautious about electric vehicles, with many citing battery replacement costs as a main barrier to buying an EV.2 Most new EVs come with eight-year/160,000km warranties, but if you needed to replace one out of warranty in Australia, it could cost between AUD$6,000 and AUD$20,000, depending on the battery’s size.3
With battery replacement costs being a major concern for potential EV buyers, the energy comparison experts at Compare the Market were curious to work out which country had the cheapest out-of-warranty replacement costs.
To do this, we ranked 25 countries on battery pack cost, labour cost, and affordability (as % of annual wage), normalised to a 0–10 scale and weighted, to find the cheapest country for replacing a 75kWh BEV battery.
Here’s what we found.
| Rank | Country | Battery price (USD) | Labour cost (USD) | % of yearly wage spent on battery | Index score |
| 1 | Australia | $10,242.75 | $172.63 | 23.21% | 7.42 |
| 2 | South Korea | $11,686.50 | $107.30 | 42.27% | 7.28 |
| 3 | Canada | $11,688.75 | $139.35 | 32.65% | 6.97 |
| 4 | Vietnam | $11,688.00 | $19.29 | 233.45% | 6.83 |
| 5 | Thailand | $11,688.00 | $28.20 | 159.79% | 6.73 |
| 6 | Israel | $11,691.00 | $165.23 | 27.60% | 6.52 |
| 7 | Switzerland | $11,691.00 | $340.12 | 13.61% | 6.31 |
| 8 | Sweden | $11,695.50 | $150.41 | 30.29% | 6.07 |
| 9 | Mexico | $11,691.75 | $36.48 | 123.66% | 6.04 |
| 10 | Japan | $11,693.25 | $93.64 | 48.41% | 6.01 |
| 11 | Poland | $11,697.75 | $79.30 | 57.12% | 5.83 |
| 12 | Singapore | $11,697.75 | $207.37 | 22.08% | 5.63 |
| 13 | New Zealand | $11,702.25 | $132.10 | 34.46% | 5.56 |
| 14 | Norway | $11,699.25 | $175.29 | 26.06% | 5.46 |
| 15 | Denmark | $11,699.25 | $196.98 | 23.23% | 5.25 |
| 16 | China | $11,700.00 | $47.31 | 95.49% | 5.18 |
| 17 | South Africa | $11,705.25 | $68.33 | 66.27% | 4.90 |
| 18 | Brazil | $11,732.25 | $22.59 | 200.14% | 4.66 |
| 19 | United Kingdom | $11,997.00 | $151.46 | 30.85% | 4.63 |
| 20 | Portugal | $16,387.50 | $59.99 | 105.45% | 4.15 |
| 21 | United States | $14,823.00 | $196.25 | 29.43% | 4.07 |
| =22 | Spain | $16,387.50 | $96.83 | 65.48% | 4.04 |
| =22 | France | $16,387.50 | $132.14 | 48.08% | 4.04 |
| =22 | Italy | $16,387.50 | $90.19 | 70.27% | 4.04 |
| =23 | Belgium | $16,387.50 | $142.38 | 44.65% | 3.94 |
| =23 | Austria | $16,387.50 | $143.28 | 44.37% | 3.94 |
| =23 | Finland | $16,387.50 | $142.90 | 44.49% | 3.94 |
| 24 | Germany | $16,387.50 | $159.99 | 39.78% | 3.83 |
| 25 | Netherlands | $16,387.50 | $182.01 | 35.01% | 3.52 |
| 26 | India | $93,253.50 | $21.71 | 1652.44% | 2.90 |
Topping our index with a score of 7.42 and claiming the title of the cheapest place to replace an EV battery is Australia.
It was the only country below the USD$11,000 unit price for a 75kWh replacement Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) battery, costing USD$10,242.75. The closest country to it was South Korea, at USD$11,686.50.
Australia also ranked well for the percentage of annual wage spent on a battery pack, with Australians paying 23.21% of their yearly salary to cover the replacement.
Labour costs were Australia’s weakest area, with the price for an 8-hour battery replacement coming in at USD$172. The United States was another nation with a higher labour cost (USD$196.25), with Switzerland coming in as the most expensive (USD$340.12).
Securing second place in our index is South Korea, which scored 7.28 out of a possible 10.
South Korea was one of three Asian countries to feature in the index’s top 5, with Vietnam and Thailand claiming fourth and fifth spot, respectively. The East Asian nation was only USD$1.50 cheaper per unit than these two countries, with Canada a further 0.75 cents behind.
South Korea’s high ranking in battery prices, combined with its mid-table position in labour costs and the percentage of wages spent on a battery, contributed to its second-place finish in the index.
Rounding out our top three is Canada, edging out Vietnam and Thailand with a score of 6.97.
The North American country ranked well for battery cost (USD $11,688.75, third best in the index) and had average scores for labour cost and percentage of yearly salary spent on a new battery.
Compared to its southern neighbour, the United States, Canada was cheaper for batteries (USD $3,134) and labour (USD $56). In comparison, United States citizens would spend around 3% less of their annual wage on a battery replacement than Canadians (32.65% compared to 29.43%).
Claiming the unwanted crown of the most expensive country for an out-of-warranty battery replacement is India, which scored just 2.90 out of 10.
India’s battery cost of USD$93,253.50 was a staggering five times that of the European Union members Germany, Finland, Austria, Belgium, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands. Battery prices for models like the Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6, and Hyundai IONIQ 5 ranged from 11,500 Indian rupees to 14,700 per kWh.
Factors affecting this price include raw material costs, manufacturing scale, technology advancements, and import duties.4 But these prices are predicted to drop in the coming years, with Goldman Sachs projecting the average global cost of battery packs to drop to below USD $60/kWh by 2030 (5,394 Indian rupees).5
The second nation in our bottom three is the Netherlands, which is one of nine European Union countries to feature in our bottom 11!
The northwestern European nation’s low ranking score of 3.52 is due to its second-highest battery price of USD $16,387.50, which was the same as Germany, Finland, Austria, Belgium, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal.
The Netherlands’ high labour costs of USD $182.01 were also a factor in the low index score. It’s this factor that saw it finish just below one of its closest neighbours in the final rankings.
Germany rounds out our bottom three with a score of 3.83 out of 10.
The European Union member nation scored low in the index rankings due to its high battery replacement price and labour costs.
Germany was around the middle of the rankings for the percentage of yearly salary spent on battery replacement, with citizens needing to fork out 39.78% of their annual wage for the repair.
Electric vehicles are a key part of the global shift toward cleaner energy, but the cost of replacing an EV battery can be a major factor in whether drivers make the switch. While EVs can help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and lower emissions, understanding the long-term costs, like battery replacement, is essential for consumers planning their energy future.
As EV adoption grows, energy usage patterns will change, and knowing the potential costs of maintaining an EV can help households budget effectively and choose the right energy solutions.
Meredith O’Brien, Head of Energy at Compare the Market, says that while EVs are paving the way for a cleaner future, it’s crucial for households to understand the hidden costs that come with ownership.
“Electric vehicles are an exciting step toward a more sustainable future, but they also introduce new considerations for households,” she said.
“Battery replacement costs can be high, and they’re often overlooked when people think about the total cost of owning an EV. By understanding these costs, people can make smarter choices about how they manage their energy consumption costs and are prepared for this possible large expense.”
This dataset ranks 25 countries on the estimated out‑of‑warranty cost to replace a mid‑size BEV traction battery (75kWh) and the affordability of that replacement, using three key factors. Each factor’s data was collected and normalised to a score between 0 and 10. If data was missing, a score of 0 was assigned. Scores were averaged to give each country a total score out of 10, and countries were ranked from lowest to highest estimated cost (lower is better) and by affordability (lower % of annual wage is better).
A 75kWh BEV pack was picked to permit like-for-like comparisons across countries. Where public sources report per‑kWh pack prices and model‑specific costs, we converted to $/kWh and rescaled to 75 kWh for comparability.
Factors used
Average market price for a complete BEV pack ($/kWh) mapped to the country via regional differentials. We used region‑appropriate baselines where available; otherwise, the global BEV pack figure. Lower = better.
The total price for a technician’s labour to remove and replace a pack. This is normally an 8-hour procedure, so for baseline comparability, we estimated a day’s wage. The wage was converted to hourly and then to USD. Lower = better. Source: Numbeo
We calculated how affordable the battery was in the analysed countries by discovering how much of a typical yearly wage would be required for a battery replacement. Lower = better. Sources: Numbeo (salary)
Weighting
Currencies were converted to USD using XE Currency Converter on 07/01/2026.
All data is accurate as of 07/01/2026 and comes from multiple sources. Rankings reflect these sources but may not capture every real-life detail.
Additional Sources