RAC adds battery failure cover to dedicated EV warranty
News
New extension to EV One policy aims to bring peace of mind to growing pool of used EV buyers, with up to four years' cover
MA
Matt Allan
9 October 2026 · 3 min read
RAC Warranty has added wide-reaching cover for EV batteries as part of its dedicated aftermarket warranty coverage.
The extended EV One protection now covers EV and hybrid batteries up to 12 years old and with up to 80,000 miles on the clock.
With a maturing used EV market, the new policy aims to provide peace of mind for owners of older models no longer covered by manufacturer warranties.
Manufacturers are obliged to warranty EV batteries for a minimum of eight years, guaranteeing they will not drop below 70% state of health.
However, as more and more secondhand models age out of that cover, RAC Warranty says it wants to provide reassurance for drivers.
While complete battery failures are a rare occurrence, when they do happen they can be very expensive to put right and with older models could outweigh the value of the car.
Lee Coomber, RAC client director at Assurant, which partners with the RAC in the aftersales market, said: “EV One was introduced in 2020 as an early specialist EV warranty product and has helped us build strong insight into what car buyers are looking for when purchasing an electrified vehicle.
“While concerns around battery failure have eased somewhat over the years, it remains an important consideration for many EV buyers, particularly those purchasing an EV for the first time. With this extension to existing EV One cover, we are providing additional reassurance for customers over a longer period of vehicle ownership.”
The revised EV One warranty can be applied for up to four years to any electrified vehicle sold through an RAC dealer, including BEV, plug-in hybrid and other hybrids, up to a maximum of 12 years old with 80,000 miles on the clock. Any battery that completely fails – ie cannot take or hold a charge or discharge energy to drive the vehicle – will be replaced with a pack of equivalent capacity, taking into account age and mileage.
Coomber added that the growth of the used EV market had seen policy sales at RAC Warranty during the first six months of 2026 exceed the total for 2025.
“EV warranties now account for a significant proportion of our warranty sales and are continuing to increase strongly in the second half of this year,” he added. “Rapidly increasing numbers of used EVs are entering the market at just the moment when there is growing consumer interest in lower running-cost vehicles.”