In December 2025, a Chinese driver was operating a Xiaomi SU7 Max normally when it ran over a rock, scraping the undercarriage. Upon inspection, the battery pack surface showed a maximum dent of 9.7mm. A leak test revealed air leakage. After disassembling the battery pack, a single cell was found dented by 2.31mm, necessitating a full battery replacement at a cost of $25,000. The Xiaomi SU7 Max is priced around $44,000 in China. The battery is the most troublesome component in electric vehicles, as even minor impacts can cause damage. While such a dent might not immediately affect driving or trigger fault warnings, it compromises safety by increasing the risk of thermal runaway and spontaneous combustion. Both battery and vehicle manufacturers typically mandate replacement in such cases. Currently, most official battery policies support only full-unit replacement rather than individual cell swaps, as replacing single cells cannot ensure proper sealing, cooling, and other requirements. (Some third-party services offer cell replacements, but these lack safety guarantees.) In China, a surface dent of 5mm on a battery generally requires replacement. So, are you still considering buying an electric car?
