Comparing the circularity and life cycle environmental performance of batteries for electric vehicles

•The circularity and environmental sustainability of NMC and LFP batteries is compared.•NMC batteries undergoing hydrometallurgy recycling are more circular and sustainable than LFP.•Battery lifetime and material recovery are key aspects to consider during circular and sustainable design innovation.•Integrating LCA and circularity assessment enables the identification of key aspects for more sustainable EV batteries.•Future studies on circularity strategies such as EV battery repurposing could support industry decision-making. Batteries account for a significant share of the life cycle impact of electric vehicles (EV). Nonetheless, the circularity and environmental performance of EV batteries remains underexplored in the literature. This paper compares the circularity (Circularity Index and Product Circularity Indicator) and environmental performance (Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Abiotic Depletion Potential of minerals (ADPm)) of lithium nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries subjected to pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy recycling. Lifetime extension, improved energy efficiency, and material recovery ratios were also calculated to identify the optimal battery design. The findings show that NMC batteries are 6–25% more circular and environmentally sustainable (