Buying a used all-electric vehicle may be intimidating for car shoppers. A recent Kelley Blue Book survey found that 52% of consumers felt their lack of knowledge about EV batteries makes them hesitant or reluctant to buy a pre-owned EV.
Their hesitation may be warranted. Autotrader said the most important factor for buyers to consider — even more than the condition of the vehicle — is battery life.
Start by seeing if the vehicle has a battery health score, which will rate the batteries’ condition. It will also include a mileage rating.
“It will give you a mileage range, so it will say for example, if the original range on this battery was 300 miles, this used car today will give you about 250 to 270 miles. So it will tell you what to expect,” said Brian Moody, executive editor at Autotrader.
A pre-owned EV with a poorly rated battery health score, or even a fair one, will be costly down the road. Replacing batteries is possible, but it is often cost-prohibitive.
“The cost of replacing a lithium ion battery in an electric car could exceed the value of the car. It could cost anywhere between $5,000 to as much as $15,000 or $16,000,” Moody said.
For owners who’ve purchased a new EV, there are things that can be done to preserve battery health, and in turn, resale value. Moody’s top tip is to follow the owner’s manual.
EV owners may be surprised to see frequent use of fast-charging stations is not good for long-term battery health. While it saves time, it can reduce charge capacity over time. Other tips are simple to follow.
“Never charging the battery all the way to 100% or letting it run down to zero percent. Keep it in a range of 20% to 90% charged. And don’t charge it up every single day when you come home to your charger. Just let it go for a few days,” Moody said.
Moody recommends used EV buyers also consider a hybrid vehicle as an option. They tend to hold their value better. Battery replacements, if ever needed, are much less expensive.
Kelley Blue Book forecasts that 1 in 4 new vehicles sold in 2025 will be electrified vehicles, which includes pure EVs, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles.
In 2024, auto data company Motor Intelligence reported that 3.2 million electrified vehicles were sold, led by Tesla, Hyundai and Kia, General Motors, Ford and BMW.
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