Buying a used electric car

Battery health

Batteries lose capacity slowly. Most cars lose a few percent in the first year or two, then settle to under 2% a year, so a five year old car typically has 90% or more of its original capacity. Cars that were fast charged constantly, kept at 100% in the heat or driven very hard lose more. What matters to you is the percentage left, the state of health, because it is the car's range now.

A car at 90% health with a 400 km original range is a 360 km car, which is still a stop every two and a half hours. See how far an electric car can go.

Checking it

• Ask for a battery health report. Dealers and many independent workshops can read the battery's own figure through the diagnostic port, and some carmakers show it in the car or the app.
• Charge it to 100% and read the range, then compare with the rated figure and the car's own kWh per 100 km. A big gap wants explaining.
• Look at the charging history if the car or app shows it. Mostly home AC is the best sign.
• Fast charge it once on the test drive and watch the power. A car that should take 150 kW and takes 50 on a warm battery has a story.
• Check the 12 volt battery, which is the part that actually strands electric cars, and the tyres, which wear faster on a heavy, torquey car.

What the warranty still covers

Nearly every electric car has a separate battery warranty of eight years and a distance, typically 160,000 km, and it promises the battery will hold at least 70% of its capacity, sometimes more. It usually transfers with the car. A car three years old has five years of battery cover left, which is more than most used petrol cars have on anything. Ask for the exact terms, and check the car's service history was kept: some warranties want it.

Plugs and software

• The fast charging plug. CCS2 (or NACS in North America) is what the chargers being built have. A used car with CHAdeMO will find fewer fast chargers each year, and some older cars have no fast charging at all. The plug types guide has pictures.
• The charging speed. Early electric cars charge slowly, 50 kW or less, and a road trip in one is a series of hour long stops. Look up the car's 10% to 80% time on its car page.
• Software. Whether the car still gets updates, whether its app still works and whether features were tied to the first owner's subscription. Ask the seller to log out of the car and its app.
• The cables. A portable charger for a household socket and a Type 2 cable should come with the car. They are not cheap to replace.

The case for used

Electric cars lost value fast in their first years, faster than the cars themselves aged, and that is the buyer's opportunity. There are no oil changes, belts, clutches or exhausts; brakes last for years because the motor does most of the slowing. What you are buying is a battery and a motor, and both are built to outlast the car around them.