Brake Pads For Hybrid & Fully Electric Vehicles (+ Your FAQs Answered)

The rollout of EV infrastructure across the UK has been one of the fastest in Europe, with EDF Energy reporting an estimated 42,000 publicly accessible charging stations up and down the country in over 15,500 locations! In comparison, there were only 8,385 petrol stations across the UK – a mere fraction of the number of EV stations.

As of July 2022, there are an estimated 477,000 fully electric vehicles on the road in the UK and over 790,000 plug-in hybrids as reported by HeyCar, and these figures are set to rise even more before the end of the year and ahead of the UK’s ban of new petrol and diesel vehicles being sold in the UK from 2030.  

With such a surge in sales, it’s only natural for customers to have questions especially when it comes to maintaining their new hybrid or electric car and the team at Frontech are here to help!

See the most common questions we get from consumers across our distribution network, from car repair garages to service centres and more:

Do hybrids & full EVs need special brake pads?

While electric and hybrid vehicles are heavier than their petrol or diesel counterparts due to the weight of their batteries, they don’t use their own type of brake pads and instead stick to the conventional choices of semi-metallic, low-metallic, and ceramic brake pads. 

Many hybrid and electric vehicles will, however, use a different type of braking system, which is where the misconception arises that they also use special brake pads. Hybrid and electric cars have what’s known as “regenerative braking” which reverses the mechanism that powers the car to move and instead powers the battery, thus many electric and hybrid vehicles will actually charge while they’re being driven down hills or in traffic that is starting and stopping! 

However, the torque produced by the regenerative braking system is not sufficient on its own to stop the car (especially at high speed), which is where the standard hydraulic braking system kicks in – this is the standard system that petrol and diesel cars also use. 

How long do hybrid and EV brake pads last?

Due to the regenerative braking system present in hybrid and electric vehicles, the brake pads on these types of cars can last much longer. In fact, the 2021 Toyota Camry Hybrid can travel up to 112,600 kilometres (roughly 70,000 miles) before needing new brake pads! In comparison, most standard vehicles usually need new brake pads after exceeding a mileage of 50,000 kilometres (roughly 31,000 miles) – so EVs definitely have the upper hand here. 

It is worth noting, however, that the lifespan of a vehicle’s brake pads will depend on their usage: everything from terrain to the drivers’ handling of the vehicle can affect this lifespan so it’s always important to check if your brake pads need to be replaced if you’re a frequent long-distance driver. 

What type of brake pads do hybrid and electric cars use?

The type of brake pads each car model uses may vary depending on the style of vehicle (e.g. a saloon vs an SUV), as well as other factors. You can see the full performance differences in our Mechanic’s Guide here. As mentioned previously, hybrid and electric cars use the same brake pad types as petrol or diesel vehicles: semi-metallic, low-metallic, and ceramic brake pads.

Contact The Frontech Team

Looking for further advice? Contact us any time via our contact form, via email at sales@frontech.com, or by sending us a message on WhatsApp at +86 1531 832 9151 where a member of our team will be happy to assist. We are open from 8am to 5:30pm Monday – Friday and aim to get back to all enquiries within 24 business hours.