Comparing powertrains fairly means controlling for age, since complaints accumulate over a model's life. Restricting to models launched from 2005 and still sold in 2020 or later gives a clean comparison.
| Powertrain | Complaints per year | Recalls per year | Models |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid available | 51.7 | 3.20 | 112 |
| Electric only | 37.9 | 3.51 | 61 |
| Petrol only | 34.5 | 1.60 | 256 |
Hybrids: most complained about, and it makes sense
51.7 complaints per production year against 34.5 for petrol — 50% more.
A hybrid carries everything a petrol car has plus an electric motor, a battery pack, power electronics, a different transmission and software co-ordinating all of it. More systems means more that can go wrong, and it means unfamiliar failure modes that owners are more likely to report because they don't know what's normal.
EVs: fewer complaints, twice the recalls
This is the strange row. Electric-only models draw fewer complaints than petrol cars — 37.9 against 34.5 is close, and well under hybrids — while carrying 3.51 recalls per year against petrol's 1.60.
Two things drive the gap.
Software recalls are cheap to issue. We found Tesla closes 74% of its campaigns with an update against a 27% market average. A manufacturer that can fix a fault overnight issues recalls it would otherwise agonise over — so the recall count rises without the owner ever experiencing a problem.
Fewer parts to complain about. No exhaust, no timing components, no fuel system, no gearbox in the conventional sense. Whole categories of complaint simply don't apply.
The top recalled components on pure EVs reflect that: electrical systems 404, reversing cameras 135, seat belts 100. Nothing mechanical in the traditional sense.
What this means practically
Recall counts and complaint counts measure different things — and for EVs they diverge. A high recall count on an electric car often means a responsive manufacturer, not a defective vehicle.
Hybrids are the genuine complexity peak. They carry two powertrains and the failure modes of both. That's the trade for the economy, and it's worth pricing in — especially since the all-wheel-drive version gives up most of the economy anyway.
Check whether software campaigns were installed. Unlike a broken part, an unapplied update produces no symptom — the car behaves normally with the recall still open.
On a used EV, the title matters more than the powertrain. We found 7.75% of electric listings carry a branded title, the highest of any fuel type. A VIN check shows both title status and open campaigns.
Frequently asked questions
Are hybrids less reliable than petrol cars?
They draw more complaints — 51.7 per production year against 34.5 for petrol-only models, controlling for era. A hybrid carries everything a petrol car has plus an electric motor, battery, power electronics and coordinating software.
Do electric cars have more recalls?
Yes — 3.51 per production year against 1.60 for petrol. But they draw fewer complaints than hybrids, largely because software campaigns are cheap to issue and whole categories of mechanical complaint don't apply.
Does a high recall count mean an EV is unreliable?
Often the opposite. A manufacturer that can fix a fault with an overnight update issues campaigns it would otherwise weigh carefully, so the count rises without owners experiencing a problem.
What gets recalled on electric cars?
Electrical systems lead with 404 campaigns, then reversing cameras at 135 and seat belts at 100 — nothing mechanical in the traditional sense, since there's no exhaust, timing system or conventional gearbox.
Denis Kataev is a serial solopreneur and the founder of ForCar. With 15+ years in software engineering and 10 years in SEO, he builds data-driven products end to end — backed by a sharp eye for design. At ForCar he mines proprietary vehicle datasets, turning raw numbers into buying advice you can actually trust.
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