The Expert Podcast

So, you're considering purchasing a used electric vehicle, and you're concerned about the health and state of affairs of the battery. That's a good move and a smart idea. If you're going to buy a used EV, you want to make sure the battery is in good condition because, in reality, most of the value of that vehicle, the resale value, depends on the battery. So, how is that done? Well, here's a great article from a publication called Automotive News, which is an automotive industry trade publication. Every dealership in the country gets this. If you walk into a new car dealership, if you go into their employee area, they’re going to have Automotive News. All the automotive executives for factories read this news publication, and they have a great article about how assessing battery life for used EVs is not that simple, even for dealers. The batteries are complex, and they have dealer and consumer concerns.

If you're buying a used electric vehicle and you have concerns about the battery, you're not alone—dealers have concerns about it too. And there are questions when buying and selling used EVs, as history offers little data. This is important, so let's deep dive and find out what they say about evaluating and checking out used electric vehicle batteries.

First, how important is it? It's one of the most top-of-mind questions that dealers and buyers alike have about a used electric vehicle: What's going on with the battery? That's a key and critical point of concern because, if you buy a vehicle and the battery is no good, it could cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace.

What we’re talking about here is battery life. Battery life refers to how long a battery can be used in a vehicle to make that vehicle move. Now, you can take it out and still use it for other things, but batteries in vehicles are there to make the car drive. There are two things you can measure: first, what about the range? You can determine the range of a used EV based on the battery’s health. That’s something that can be determined by testing. Second, what about how long the battery will last? Well, how long it will last can be projected based on how it's aged. A lot of times, the methods for doing this have to do with where it’s been used, what climate it’s been in—too hot, too cold—and how many times it’s been charged. According to the article, there are a lot of variables that go into it, and the future may be less predictable. But you at least want to find out something when checking out that battery, right?

Well, like we said before, you're not alone—dealers are also uncertain about used EVs. Dealers buy vehicles all the time; they get them from auctions, trade-ins, and purchases. They're wary of battery replacement costs because, if the battery breaks, now they're the owner, and they have to fix it. Or, even if they sell it, they might have to warranty it. So, dealers will usually assume the worst when it comes to a used EV. What they'll do is figure that the battery has a 50/50 chance of breaking because they don’t know, and it’s hard to test. In addition, the use of the vehicle by the new owner might also affect the battery. It might be right on the edge, and the new owner could charge it when it's 100°F out or try to drive it up a hill when it's 0°F out, which could burn out the battery.

You can use the dealer’s strategy of worst-case scenario planning, assuming the battery might need replacement, and negotiate that with the dealer. But also, get a good EV checkout from a reputable company before putting your money out. Don’t take the dealer’s word for it because they might not check it out the same way you would—as a third party, unbiased and not trying to sell you a vehicle.