Should you buy a used EV? Maybe, but it’s complicated

Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

Electric auto are tardily but sure enough arrest cheaper . Over the past year or so , Ford and Tesla have been ignore their most popular electric motorcar while other brands , like Rivian , are laying the groundwork for all - novel tawdry models .

But you ’d still be firmly - pressed to call galvanising carscheap , and buy a completely new motorcar in the first place is a vault in and of itself for many likely buyer . According to Statista , used car sale stage around 74 % of all car sales in 2022 , and while this public figure is likely to commute as galvanising car get cheaper , the fact remains that most car buyers would prefer to save hard cash and buy used rather than corrupt something new .

A blue Chevy Bolt against a snowy backdrop.

Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

Buying a new car ain’t what it used to be

Buying a car with an electric powertrain does n’t necessarilyneedto be all that different from buying an internal burning engine ( ICE ) vehicle . But there ’s a piddling more to it than that .

Along with the switch to an electric powertrain , EVs also incline to prioritise software andself - drive tech , heightening the need for better computing power . With the development of raw technical school advancing more quickly and create the indigence for extra processing power , eV are likely to tend to start fall back behind in features more quickly than ICE vehicles did — much like a four - year - old smartphone may not declare oneself all the features a novel headphone has . To be clear , raw railway car havealwaysoffered fresh features — but the pace at which important new feature of speech roam out certainly seems to be accelerating .

That ’s not to mention that auto manufacturer are promptly meliorate the core tenet of an galvanizing car . Battery and charging technical school is getting better , and considering how important range is , that ’s causing new machine buyers in ecumenical to wait for a new genesis oflonger - range EVsthat can deliver 350 , 400 , or even 500 mile of reach on a single charge . But even once these longer - range eV start flap out , it ’ll be some time before they ’re wide uncommitted to buy used .

The battery problem

The improvement of battery tech is n’t the only battery - concern issue to consider before buying a used galvanizing railcar . There ’s still a lot of scepticism around the longevity of car batteries , and arguably for unspoilt reason . trash vehicle do n’t really diminish in compass over time . More or less , a gallon of gas pedal will get you the same distance in a unexampled gas - powered car as it will in the same car 10 years later .

eV are a little dissimilar . Batteries basically start to wear out . After years of charging and discharging a bombardment , it ’ll go to reserve less vim and deliver less range of a function . There are thing you may do to limit this . For example , it ’s unspoiled to slowly point a battery over a prospicient period of time than to use degraded chargers every time you need to charge . That means if you may institutionalise at household overnight , for example , your EV battery is probable to last longer than one in a automobile that someone ca n’t charge at home and thus has to guide to the localElectrify Americastation every time .

To be clear , some of these fear are a piddling overblown .

“ Data aggregation efforts are afoot to better understand bombardment degradation , but the average is judge to be a low percentage of capacity each year , only about 1 % to 2 % , ” say Stacy Noblet , vice United States President of transportation electrification at ICF , in an audience with Digital Trends , citingRecurrent ’s most late bombardment abasement report . “ It ’s something to be aware of , but nothing that should forestall consumer from purchasing used eV . ”

A discussion on EV battery warranties

None of that is to cite that the governance mandate that EV manufacturers encompass battery under warranty for at least eight year or 100,000 miles . Now , obviously , those warrantee do n’t cover normal wear and tear — you wo n’t be capable to supplant your car barrage fire every twelvemonth just because it has a slightly low range than it used to . But it ’s potential that you could get a battery replacement near the final stage of that animation span , bet on the land of your EV ’s battery .

“ Predictive Modeling by the National Renewable Energy Laboratorysuggests that in temperate climates , a lithium - ion shelling should last 12 to 15 year , ” said Matt Smith , deputy editor at CarGurus , in an consultation with Digital Trends . “ In uttermost climates — specially on the raging conclusion of the extreme climate scale — the battery life may be reduced to 8 to 12 years . ”

In other words , if you are buy a used galvanising car , it may be worth come up out how sure-enough the battery is . If it has been replaced at some point , it ’s likely to put out the life-time span of the motorcar , even once its guarantee has run out .

It ’s also deserving finding out if the warrant itself is still fighting . automobile battery warranty can actually be void for all sorts of reasons , though many of these simply fall under the rule of not using the car the way it was signify . An lesson of this could be using a machine not necessarily built for tow to tow large objects . Some motorcar manufacturers also void battery warranties for owners who neglect to keep a car update — so check that that you ’re systematically refresh your elevator car ’s package , not just to keep the warrant but also to ensure that you have the later and greatest electric battery optimization .

Assuming the warranty is still valid and transferrable to you as a buyer , it ’ll often cover battery repairs if the barrage capacity flow under a sealed doorstep . This verge will deviate from car to car . For example , Tesla will coverbattery repairs or replacement if the battery capability falls below 70 % within the eight - year warrant full stop . That doesn’tnecessarilymean that you ’ll get a new battery — just that Tesla guarantees a battery above 70 % , so you could get a used battery that has held its electrical capacity well . Tesla also sells used cable car with a four - twelvemonth or 50,000 - mile warranty , which covers used railcar that you buy from Tesla itself , not Tesla cars that you bribe from a third political party .

irrespective of what the principal or vendor tells you , it ’s worth getting the battery the right way checked out first .

“ You ’ll postulate to have the stamp battery life checked by a certified technician , so your first job is call local reparation shops to find a certified technician . In many parts of the land , not every hangout shop class is dependent to deal electron volt , ” said Sean Tucker , older editorat Kelley Blue Book . “ Never buyanyused motorcar without having it thoroughly inspected by an autonomous grease monkey you pay yourself . If the seller wo n’t let you do that , walk forth . With EVs , you ’ll want to have them hold in the remaining battery life and use that as a bargaining crisp in Mary Leontyne Price negotiations . ”

Get out your calculator

The presumption is that buying a used EV is automatically sleazy than buying a raw one , but that isn’talwaysthe case . In the case of some EVs , need is so high compared to supply that used mannikin can be more expensive than new ones — for those willing to pay a premium to jump the line in the buying process . That ’s not necessarily all that common , but it does occur with new fashion model that are still storm up manufacturing .

Sometimes , however , the math can be a little more complicated . That ’s because many used EV model are n’t all that much bum than new single , and with other incentives , buying fresh can actually be cheaper . For modification vehicles , thefederal government activity offersup to a $ 4,000 revenue enhancement incentive on used eV , but the incentive is up to $ 7,500 on qualifying new EVs . That means that the used model will want to be at least $ 3,500 cheaper than buying the same mannikin Modern , and that ’s not necessarily always the type . Even these incentives are more complicated than you might take over , though .

“ The IRS also revamped its used EV tax credit in 2023 to handle 30 % of the sales event damage on a number of models for a maximum credit of $ 4,000 . There are certain prerequisite — the motorcar has to be more than two class old and purchased from a accredited dealer , and the buyer ’s income has to be below a certain level — but it can make the deal even more appealing , ” says Kyle Cheromcha , editor program in chief ofThe Drive , in an interview with Digital Trends .

You ’ll have to estimate for yourself what the last monetary value of a used EV will be for you specifically , compared with a new poser , based on any applicable tax credits .

Things to consider

As you could tell , there ’s a heap to look at before buying an electrical car . Perhaps the first thing to do is calculate whether it ’ll really be gimcrack . After that , buying a used EV can be very similar to bribe a new one — and perhaps even easygoing .

“ An review on an EV is very similar to that of an ICE vehicle , but the big differentiator is when it comes to the appurtenant systems , ” say Smith . “ A railcar buyer wo n’t have to worry about thing like when the last time the timing belt was shift , when the piddle pump was supervene upon , how old the exhaust system is , or whether the cooling scheme has been flush . ”

That does n’t think of you do n’t have to execute due diligence , though . As Cheromcha said to Digital Trends , it may be worth asking a trader to give an extended test campaign of an EV to leave drivers to try out stamp battery electrical capacity and charging speed . While inspecting an EV wo n’t involve as many components as an ICE vehicle , it could still take a little longer .