Buying a used electric vehicle is not a very different experience from purchasing a gas-powered car. You need to pay attention to the same essential things, such as making sure that the powertrain runs as it should, checking the bodywork for rust or repairs that might indicate serious crashes, ensuring that the vehicle has matching numbers and is not stolen, checking its maintenance history, and much more—including taking it for a test drive, which is a must every single time you buy a car.
Buyers also need to be aware that an EV has many specific things that need to be checked before they can safely commit to a purchase. As you can imagine, those are generally related to the drive battery, but aspects like charging, software and service record should also be on your checklist before placing your signature on the dotted line.
Battery Pack: Degradation, Range, Warranty & More
The battery pack is the single most critical component of an EV and the one that can make or break the ownership experience—not to mention the bank. As you probably know if you use a mobile phone, laptop, or any other battery-powered appliance, batteries degrade over time, so the first thing you need to do is check how much battery degradation the used EV you want has experienced.
Most EVs offer this information via the user interface, but having the battery checked at a dealership’s workshop is a better idea, as KBB explains in this article. You can also determine battery degradation the good old fashioned way by charging the battery to 100% capacity and then reading the estimated range displayed on the central screen or in the digital gauge cluster. Obviously, that’s not a 100% foolproof method because the range estimate is influenced by many factors, such as driving style, climate conditions, topography, road conditions, and more.
Now, if the estimated range is significantly lower than the original EPA rating, it means that the battery pack has experienced significant degradation. If the difference is not that big, you should be happy because the battery has plenty of juice left in it.
It’s always best to buy a used EV that exhibits little to moderate battery degradation, but don’t be put off by higher degradation if you only plan on covering around 50 miles every day and charging at home overnight. Mind you, winter driving is known to reduce range by up to 25%—especially on EVs without heat pumps—so you also need to do the math and see if the maximum range is enough to cover your commute during the cold season.
As a rule of thumb, if a battery’s health is 70% or less, it should be replaced, so you’d better stay away from used EVs with that much battery degradation—unless you get a sweet deal that includes a battery replacement.
Speaking of which, it’s always a good idea to ask if the battery pack has been replaced, especially if the vehicle you’re looking at has covered a lot of miles; if the answer is yes and the seller can prove that with documentation, it’s a big advantage—assuming the degradation is not significant.
And even if it is, you can always use battery degradation as leverage to get a better deal on a used EV and replace the battery after the purchase at your expense.
Another important tip is to find out if the battery is still covered by warranty. Generally, automakers offer more warranty for the battery pack than for the rest of the vehicle, and if you’re lucky, you may find a used electric car that still has some battery warranty left.
Normally, most battery packs are covered for 100,000 miles or eight years, whichever comes first. However, you should make sure that the warranty is transferable before taking a leap of faith and buying the vehicle.
You can learn when the warranty expires and whether or not you can transfer it to your name by contacting the manufacturer’s customer service department and communicating the 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN) of the EV you want to buy.
Charging: How, Where, How Often
The second most important thing you need to consider after making sure that the battery pack is in good condition is how you will charge your EV, where you will charge it, and how often. This is a very important thing to get right.
It all comes down to how many miles you estimate you will cover every day. Having a 500-mile EV is great, but that comes with significant purchase and maintenance costs; plus, it’s kind of overkill to buy a long-range car if you only plan on driving 100 miles per day on average.
For example, if you’re buying a used EV for your work commute and errands around town, a vehicle with a range of around 100 miles will do just fine. However, if you also plan to take longer trips from time to time, you’ll be more comfortable with an EV that can cover 200-250 miles on a full charge.
The most common scenario for most people is charging at home overnight and/or at the office during the day. If that’s your case, you may not necessarily need an EV with Level 3 fast charging capability. A Level 2 charger should be enough for you—as long as the car is equipped with a decent onboard charger. That way, you can save a significant amount of money by choosing a cheaper used electric car.
Conversely, if you don’t have access to a home charger and plan to rely exclusively on public charging stations to top off your EV’s battery, you’ll want to go for a used electric car equipped with Level 3 DC fast-charging technology. You'll also spend a lot on charging in this case, so be aware of that.
For those of you who aren't familiar with EV charging, there are three types of chargers. From the slowest to the fastest, these are called Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3. Level 1 uses 120-volt household outlets just like your electric appliances, but it takes at least 40 hours to charge a battery-electric vehicle to 80 percent.
Level 2 chargers offer higher-rate AC charging through 240 volts electrical service and are the most widespread chargers found at home, work or public stations. Level 3 (or DC fast chargers) offer the fastest charging at public stations located along heavy-traffic corridors.
Also on the topic of charging, you need to make sure that the EV you’re considering comes complete with working charging cables. That may seem petty compared to the other aspects mentioned above, but you don’t want to be that owner who finds out that their car lacks charging cables or has cables that don’t work when pulling up at a charging station.
You should make sure that the seller includes the Level 1 charging cord that is typically delivered with a brand-new EV, and it’s always a good idea to ask whether a Level 2 charger can also be included (if available). A Level 2 charger for home use costs around $500-$800 new, so it can be pretty expensive. This type of charger ensures shorter charging times and is easy to install if you have a 240-volt power outlet at home.
Thankfully, you may be eligible for EV charging equipment rebates available at local, state and federal levels, as well as utility companies. For example, the federal government’s Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Tax Credit covers up to 30% of the cost of a Level 2 charger, although the amount cannot be higher than $1,000. Check out this Consumer Reports piece for more tips on charging.
Heat Pump: You Won't Regret Having One
One cannot overerestimate the difference heat pumps make to the EV ownership experience. An electric car equipped with a heat pump can improve driving range by up to 10% or even more—range that that would otherwise be lost in cold weather. Having a heat pump-equipped EV also means the cabin will be warm in winter. What's not to like?
Well, the problem is most older EVs do not feature heat pumps. However, if your budget allows for newer models, you should know that there are quite a few choices available with heat pumps. Those include 2013 and newer Nissan Leaf models (optional), 2019 and newer Jaguar I-Pace (standard), 2021 and newer Tesla Model 3 and Model Y (standard), 2019 and newer Kia Niro EV (optional), 2021 and newer Volvo XC40 Recharge (optional), 2021 and newer Polestar 2 (optional), and others.
In-Car Electronics & Software: Make Sure Everything Works And Is Up To Date
EVs rely on software much more than gas-powered cars, to the point where many people call them computers on wheels nowadays. That's why electric cars are more prone to software issues statistically. Just think about charging, which, besides the exchange of electrons, involves a massive exchange of data between the car and the charging station. There are many things that can go wrong, and sometimes they do.
You should always make sure the vehicle you're looking at has the latest software version installed and verify that the essential functions work as intended. It's also common sense to avoid some of the early EV models that feature obsolete technology and don't get software support anymore or models that have notoriously bad software. And if your budget allows it, choose an EV that offers over-the-air (OTA) software updates over one that does not.
Depreciation: You Can't Avoid It, But Buying Used Is Wiser
All new cars depreciate a lot, but EVs tend to lose value quicker than ICE-powered cars after the initial purchase. While it’s smart to buy a used EV, it doesn’t mean you won’t be affected by depreciation. Some EV models depreciate faster than others, so you may want to pick models with slower depreciation rates. For example, the Tesla Model 3 has the lowest 5-year depreciation for EVs, although that’s still a massive 42.9%, according to iSeeCars.com.
Service & Maintenance: Always Ask For Records
As with any used car, a used EV has a service history you need to check before making a purchase. It’s great if the seller can provide service records—and it’s not an encouraging sign if they cannot—but generally there’s not much maintenance EVs typically need (assuming they haven’t experienced battery and powertrain issues).
Electric cars require basic maintenance like windshield wiper replacements, tire rotation, as well as brake calipers and rotors replacements. Mind you, you'll deal with the latter much less frequently compared to owning an ICE vehicle as EVs benefit from regenerative braking produced when the electric motors spin in reverse and act as generators.
Pay attention to excessive tire wear as EVs are heavier than their gas-powered counterparts and their motors produce instant torque, putting higher stress on the tires. If anything, you can use excessive tire wear as a bargaining tool.
While we’re talking about maintenance, make sure that you also get informed on whether the used EV you’re interested in was subject to any recalls or not and if the related service work was performed. Whatever you do, always prioritize documentation over the seller's word.
Conclusion: If It Ticks Many Boxes, You Should Probably Go For It
To sum things up, buying a pre-owned EV is a wise financial decision as long as the previous owner took good care of the vehicle. A used EV is also a sensible choice if it’s your first battery electric car—if you realize the EV lifestyle is not for you, you’ll only take a minor financial hit when reselling the car. And besides spending significantly less money than on a new EV, you can save additional bucks by checking if you’re eligible for local, state or federal tax rebates.
Currently, the federal tax credit for used electric vehicles is 30% of the sales price, up to a maximum of $4,000. Mind you, there are some strings attached: the price of the used EV is capped at $25,000, the model year has to be at least two years older than the current calendar year, the car must be sold by an authorized dealership, and it must be resold for the first time since August 16, 2022 (not including sales to and between dealerships), in addition to income requirements.
As for state and local rebates for used EVs, they vary and can go as high as $2,500 in Oregon, for example.
