Electric cars reward careful owners with lower running costs and quieter, cleaner commutes, but they are not immune to bad habits. Some of the most common things drivers do out of convenience or old gasoline habits can quietly shorten battery life, chew through tires, and waste range. If you drive an EV, there are five patterns of behavior you should stop immediately, and each one has a clear, practical alternative that keeps your car healthier for longer.
I will walk through those five mistakes, explain why they are so damaging, and point to the simple changes that make the biggest difference. The goal is not perfection, but a smarter routine that protects your battery, your tires, and your wallet while still letting you enjoy the instant torque and tech that drew you to an EV in the first place.
1. Stop charging to 100% every single day
The first habit to drop is treating your EV like a phone that must be topped to 100% every night. Lithium-ion packs are happiest when they operate in the middle of their state-of-charge window, and repeatedly pushing them to the extremes accelerates wear. Large datasets from fleets show that Most EV batteries can last 15 to 20 years with an average degradation rate of about 1.8% per year under moderate use, but that assumes owners are not constantly maxing out or draining the pack.
Battery specialists consistently recommend a “middle band” approach, often framed as the 20 to 80 rule. Detailed Battery Charging Best Practices advise drivers to “Maintain the 20-80% Charge” window for daily use because shallow cycles are less stressful than running from empty to full. Fleet guidance echoes this, with Battery Health Tips that say to “Maintain battery charge between 20% – 80% and avoid charging to 100%,” noting that “Most models allow charging limits” so you can set a cap. Consumer-focused explainers spell it out even more plainly, saying the 80/20 approach “means always keeping your electric vehicle (EV) charged above 20%, and never topping it up over 80%” for routine driving.
2. Stop living at the fast charger
The second behavior to cut back is using DC fast charging as your default, even when you are not on a road trip. High power charging is a remarkable convenience, but it also heats the battery more and pushes higher currents through the cells, which is why manufacturers and independent experts warn against relying on it daily. One dealership-backed guide to Costly Mistakes People Make With Their EV Battery lists “Overcharging the Batt” and leaning too much on DC quick charging as a core error, warning that regularly hammering the pack with high-speed sessions can shorten its useful life.
Industry roadmaps echo that caution. A detailed analysis of how automakers are rethinking their electric strategies notes that Frequent Fast Charging with DCFC, While convenient for long trips, generates more heat and that manufacturers explicitly recommend Level 2 AC home charging for daily use. Consumer charging guides reinforce the same message, advising that You should consider fast charging as a convenient option for long journeys, but not for everyday charging if you care about the battery’s health and efficiency over time. Even road trip advice that asks “Why not fully charge to 100%?” points out that DC fast chargers stress EV batteries and should be treated as an occasional tool, not a lifestyle.
3. Stop ignoring the 80/20 rule and depth-of-discharge
Even when you are mostly using slower AC charging, how far you let the battery swing between low and high states of charge matters. Battery engineers talk about “depth of discharge,” and research on long term health shows that deep cycles, where you regularly run the pack close to empty and then back to full, are harder on the chemistry than shallower ones. A technical explainer on preserving battery life notes that the depth of discharge, the charging C-rate, and temperature all matter, and its Key guidance is to Avoid extreme states of charge and high heat during cycling, with occasional full charges framed as fine but not something to chase daily.
Consumer-facing guides translate that engineering into a simple rule of thumb. One breakdown titled “Let’s take a look and find out” asks “What is the 80/20 Rule in EV Charging” and explains that the Rule suggests keeping your EV charged between 20 and 80 percent to balance usable range with long term battery life. Another explainer on the Motability scheme reiterates that staying above 20 and below 80% is more than enough for most journeys. Maintenance checklists for owners go further, with Charging Best Practices that say Avoid letting your battery fully discharge during extended parking, Skip frequent top-offs, and keep the pack between 20% and 80% for daily use.
4. Stop treating your EV like a gas car on the road
Driving style is the third big area where old habits die hard. Many new owners jump into an electric car and drive it exactly like their previous gasoline model, with hard acceleration, late braking, and little thought to energy recovery. That wastes one of the EV’s biggest advantages, because modern models like the Get the 2026 Equinox EV are designed to Manually slow down your vehicle and convert some of the energy from your EV’s movement directly back into the battery through regenerative braking. If you are constantly racing between lights and relying on friction brakes, you are throwing away range and putting extra wear on pads and rotors instead of letting the car harvest that energy.
Charging behavior on the road matters too. A widely shared list of 5 mistakes everyone makes when charging an electric car points out that sitting at a fast charger to eke out the last few percent to 100 is usually a waste of time and harder on the battery, since charging speeds taper sharply after about 80 percent. Road trip advice that asks “Why not fully charge to 100%?” makes the same point, explaining that it is better for battery health to charge only to the level you need to reach the next stop or your destination, or whatever the owner’s manual suggests, instead of reflexively topping off.
5. Stop abusing instant torque and ignoring tire wear
The fourth habit to rein in is constantly flooring the accelerator just because you can. One of the defining traits of electric cars is instant torque, and that is part of the appeal. A buyer checklist for first time EV drivers tells people to Get used to instant torque, warning that unlike a gasoline car that needs to build speed, you will be propelled instantly when you press the pedal. A social media explainer labeled Fun Fact reminds drivers that Electric vehicles (EVs) have instant torque, meaning they deliver a swift and exhilarating acceleration, and a technical breakdown from Alpha Motor notes that Instant torque is a standout feature that gives EVs a clear performance edge. The problem is that this same punchy response, combined with heavy battery packs, is brutal on tires if you use it at every green light.
Owners and tire experts are increasingly blunt about the consequences. A Reddit explainer on maintenance notes that, “In fact, due to most EV weight, they’re likely to wear out sooner,” and that while overall maintenance costs are lower, tire wear is “probably worse due to the higher weight,” a point summarized under the heading Overall. Technical tire guidance explains that Because EVs carry heavier battery systems, their tires experience greater stress, leading to faster tread and sidewall wear and reduced efficiency. A sustainability discussion cites manufacturer data and says that, According to Goodyear, it’s up to 50% faster wear, with some research suggesting EV tires can wear 20-50% more quickly than fossil fuel cars. A practical guide framed as “5 Things You Need To Stop Doing If You Drive An Electric Car” adds that Jan guidance, Apart from the added weight, another factor that contributes to tire wear is the instant torque produced by EVs, which can shred tread if you launch hard all the time.
6. Stop assuming “low maintenance” means “no maintenance”
The fifth mistake is believing that an EV’s simpler powertrain means you can ignore basic upkeep. It is true that there is no engine oil to change and far fewer moving parts, but that does not mean the car is maintenance free. A community discussion that reads like an EILI5-ish explainer stresses that while overall maintenance cost has been much, much lower for EVs, items like tires and suspension bushings can actually be under more strain because of the higher weight. That means rotations, alignments, and regular inspections matter more, not less, if you want the car to feel tight and safe over time.
Battery care is part of that maintenance picture. A service-focused guide titled 5 Essential Electric Car Maintenance Tips lists specific Charging Best Practices, including Avoid letting your battery fully discharge during extended parking and Skip frequent top-offs, and recommends keeping the charge between 20% and 80% for daily use. Fleet managers who live and die by total cost of ownership share similar Battery Health Tips, telling operators to Maintain battery charge between 20% – 80% and avoid charging to 100%, and reminding them that Most models allow charging limits to be set in software so drivers do not have to think about it every night. Treating those settings as part of routine maintenance, just like checking tire pressures, is one of the simplest ways to protect your investment.
7. Stop planning your life around public plugs instead of smart home charging
Another subtle but costly mistake is building your entire charging routine around public infrastructure when you have the option to charge at home. Constantly hunting for a free fast charger, queuing in busy corridors, and topping off in short bursts is not only stressful, it also tends to push you toward the very high power sessions that are hardest on the battery. A detailed breakdown of EV Battery Charging Best Practices says, “Therefore, if you haven’t, install a Level 2 charger for your home use,” calling it a worthwhile investment that will meet most of your charging needs and allow you to reserve DC chargers during emergencies or when running late. That advice dovetails with the earlier recommendation from the same source that framed Level 2 as the default and DC as the exception.
Home charging also makes it easier to respect the 20 to 80 window without thinking about it. The same best practice guide that urges drivers to “Maintain the 20-80% Charge” window for daily use explains that a home unit lets you schedule charging to stop at your chosen limit, which is much harder to do if you are constantly plugging into random public stations. Fleet-focused Battery Health Tips underline that Most models allow charging limits to be set, and that using those features is a key part of long term battery care. When you combine a home Level 2 unit with those software caps, you effectively automate good behavior and avoid the temptation to sit at a DC fast charger chasing the last few percent.
8. Stop learning EV ownership from viral clips alone
Finally, there is a more modern mistake that is easy to overlook: taking your cues about EV ownership from viral videos and hot takes instead of from data and manuals. A popular video titled The Dumbest Things EV Owners Do leans into entertainment, joking about people who never precondition their batteries or who think they need 2 road trip cars, and while there is a kernel of truth in some of those jabs, the format encourages oversimplified rules that may not fit your car or climate. Social media threads can be even more extreme, with some owners insisting that you must never charge above 60 percent or that fast charging twice a month will ruin your pack, claims that are not backed by the broader datasets on degradation.
By contrast, the more sober guidance from fleet data, manufacturer documentation, and technical explainers is remarkably consistent. Large scale analysis of EV Battery Health Insights shows that Most EV batteries degrade at about 1.8% per year when used within recommended limits, and that factors like extreme heat, frequent DC fast charging, and constant 100 percent charging are the real culprits. Practical guides on 7 Costly Mistakes People Make With Their EV Battery and on Charging Best Practices converge on the same core advice: avoid overcharging the Batt, avoid letting it sit at 0, skip unnecessary top offs, and do not lean too Much on DC Quick Charging. If you stop copying the worst habits you see online and instead follow that evidence based playbook, you will get closer to the long lifespans that the data suggests are possible.
Supporting sources: 5 Things You Need To Stop Doing If You Drive An Electric Car.
More from MorningOverview