Used electric car: the battery dictates the resale price
An EV with 4 years and less than 30,000 km is already being sold: the battery, with 160,000 km of lifespan, determines its resale value.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The used electric car is stuck: the battery sets the price
The second-hand electric car is a disposal problem, not a bargain. The gap between its original cost and what someone pays for it doesn't close, and unlike a ten-year-old diesel, here the buyer has to price in an unseen component: the battery.
Why a used electric car loses so much value
A owner recounts without embellishment: he bought the car for a specific need, accumulates less than 30,000 kilometers in four years, and is already planning to sell it before the battery begins to degrade. On paper, it withstands 160,000 kilometers; on paper, because no one signs that figure in writing. When it comes time to replace it, the invoice will decide if it is still a car or just a touchscreen trash pile.
The market already reflects this. In some corporate settings, EVs were purchased new just a few years ago and now units appear with unrepaired dents, belonging to owners who have no money issues but are concerned about the cost of parts and the scarcity of qualified workshops. It's not the invoice for the accident; it's the one for the replacement part and the labor that knows how to handle it.
Is it worth buying a used electric car?
It depends on the model. Two veteran electric utility vehicles, among those most present in the used market, are highly sought after precisely because, once the battery issue is resolved, they prove reliable. There exist expansion kits at reasonable prices that extend the vehicle's life and turn the calculation around. The problem is that the average seller or buyer doesn't account for this data; only the enthusiast who researches before signing does.
Against this thesis, another current argues that the hybrid is an even worse business. They are designed with a minimal electrical system, barely enough to park with the engine off and meet regulations, yet their parts remain extremely expensive. No one spends less by adding weight.
There remains the nostalgia for when a decent car cost 2,000 euros and a beaten-up Vespa could be found for 10,000 pesetas. That market floor no longer exists.
The fable of the perfect horse
A passage circulates to explain what is happening: the man who boasts about having a horse that prepares his breakfast, irons it, and wins all the races, and swears he wouldn't sell it for all the gold in the world. A buyer appears willing to pay an astronomical sum, and amidst sighs of pain, the transaction closes. There is only one detail: no one buys that horse twice.
The same thing happens with the used electric car. It works well, it is more efficient and more comfortable kilometer by kilometer. The problem lies with the second owner.
If battery kits become common and workshops learn to code parts, the price collapse of used models should slow down. Otherwise, we will have cars that start perfectly and which no one wants to pay for.
The second-hand electric car is a disposal problem, not a bargain. The gap between its original cost and what someone pays for it doesn't close, and unlike a ten-year-old diesel, here the buyer has to price in an unseen component: the battery.
Why a used electric car loses so much value
A owner recounts without embellishment: he bought the car for a specific need, accumulates less than 30,000 kilometers in four years, and is already planning to sell it before the battery begins to degrade. On paper, it withstands 160,000 kilometers; on paper, because no one signs that figure in writing. When it comes time to replace it, the invoice will decide if it is still a car or just a touchscreen trash pile.
The market already reflects this. In some corporate settings, EVs were purchased new just a few years ago and now units appear with unrepaired dents, belonging to owners who have no money issues but are concerned about the cost of parts and the scarcity of qualified workshops. It's not the invoice for the accident; it's the one for the replacement part and the labor that knows how to handle it.
Is it worth buying a used electric car?
It depends on the model. Two veteran electric utility vehicles, among those most present in the used market, are highly sought after precisely because, once the battery issue is resolved, they prove reliable. There exist expansion kits at reasonable prices that extend the vehicle's life and turn the calculation around. The problem is that the average seller or buyer doesn't account for this data; only the enthusiast who researches before signing does.
Against this thesis, another current argues that the hybrid is an even worse business. They are designed with a minimal electrical system, barely enough to park with the engine off and meet regulations, yet their parts remain extremely expensive. No one spends less by adding weight.
There remains the nostalgia for when a decent car cost 2,000 euros and a beaten-up Vespa could be found for 10,000 pesetas. That market floor no longer exists.
The fable of the perfect horse
A passage circulates to explain what is happening: the man who boasts about having a horse that prepares his breakfast, irons it, and wins all the races, and swears he wouldn't sell it for all the gold in the world. A buyer appears willing to pay an astronomical sum, and amidst sighs of pain, the transaction closes. There is only one detail: no one buys that horse twice.
The same thing happens with the used electric car. It works well, it is more efficient and more comfortable kilometer by kilometer. The problem lies with the second owner.
If battery kits become common and workshops learn to code parts, the price collapse of used models should slow down. Otherwise, we will have cars that start perfectly and which no one wants to pay for.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (22 replies).
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