Buying a used electric car

By: Toby Hagon

Buying a second-hand electric car can be a great way to step into electric vehicle (EV) ownership. But there are many factors to consider before you decide to buy and many essential items to check on once you do start looking.

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The Federal Government wants to have 3.8 million EVs on the road by 2030. For that to occur, around half of all new vehicles sold between now and the end of the decade would need to be powered by electricity.

Early adopters of EV tech include those in the luxury car market – already more than one in 10 prestige vehicles is powered solely be electricity – as well as businesses and governments. But across the entire market, EVs make up about 2 per cent of sales.

While many people can’t afford a new EV, there should soon be more options on the used car market.

But what should you look for when buying a second-hand electric car?

Check the basics

Although EVs have a very different power source from conventional cars, they still have plenty in common with a car powered by petrol or diesel.

There are four wheels, brakes, suspension systems, heating and ventilation systems and a cabin packed with technology. All need regular checking, although without the internal combustion engine, an EV is far simpler to service than a regular car.

While EVs typically have much lower brake wear than a regular car, the pads and discs still needed to be checked.

The wheel alignment can be knocked out just as easily on an EV as it can on an internal combustion engine (ICE) car.

Plus, EVs need filters replaced for their cabin ventilation and, in many instances, for the battery cooling system.

Most electric cars also have liquid cooling systems for their battery packs and the fluid will need replacing periodically (usually after about six years).

So if you’re looking at a used EV, as with an ICE, you’ll need to check the service history, remembering that some cars (such as Tesla) may have a digital record within the vehicle’s infotainment system, rather than a book.

The condition of the battery

The battery pack is by far the most expensive item in an EV.

The lithium-ion technology is broadly the same as what you’ll find in a smartphone or laptop computer, but with the EV it will have more individual cells and will also have additional supporting software and management systems for maintaining the optimum temperature for cells. EV batteries will also have more robust protective casings to manage crash forces.

It’s crucial the battery is in good order.

Most EVs sold in Australia have a separate battery warranty covering at least seven years and 150,000km of driving (many are eight years).

While batteries can fail outright – leaving the car stranded – the most common form of degradation involves loss of capacity. The battery pack will slowly lose its ability to hold a charge.

The more charge cycles the battery has been through – how many kilometres it has driven is a good measure – the more it will have degraded.

Various studies, and Tesla’s own data, suggests the average degradation is around 1 per cent of the original capacity per year. The challenge for a used EV buyer is working out its so-called state of health (SOH).

Most EVs are more secretive, with the exception of the Nissan Leaf, which displays the battery health in the instrument cluster.

It’s not that EVs don’t monitor that data or have easy access to it. It’s just that it seems car makers would prefer not to make it obvious to you.

The infotainment screens on a modern EV can regurgitate all sorts of data and information you may never find useful, from adjusting the colour of the ambient lighting to playing arcade games on a Tesla. But they won’t divulge how much of that expensive battery pack is still operational.

How can you check the health of an EV battery?

Most automotive workshops should be able to access this data by plugging into the onboard diagnostics (OBD2) port, or in some instances it could be relayed using remote connectivity.

It’s a relatively simple check and for anyone selling their EV it could be worth asking the dealer for a printout so you can demonstrate to would-be buyers how healthy the battery is.

For those buying, it could mean a visit to a workshop, which is likely to incur a fee. However, as with any money spent on checking a car’s condition, it could help you avoid needing to spend a lot more down the track.

If you’re any good at maths, some EVs will give you the raw data required for a quick calculation.

With Teslas, for example, one menu in the touchscreen shows your remaining battery charge (expressed as a percentage), the average electricity use (in Watt-hours per kilometre) and how far it will travel on the remaining charge.

Between them it allows you to calculate the battery capacity and compare it to the original capacity.

One catch is that Tesla no longer quotes battery capacities, but there are enough websites with that information for each model to allow you to get a good idea for the model you’re looking at.

An easy EV battery test

A simpler way to determine battery health is have a look at the estimated range to empty.

All EVs will calculate how far the car will go on the current charge.

While it’s not a perfect science – turning off the air-conditioning can increase the range, for example, while extreme cold temperatures can reduce the range – it should at least give you an idea.

Do an internet search to determine how much range the car was designed to have.

Don’t expect the car to get that exact number. Even when it was new it was unlikely to have achieved its claimed range (most EVs are 10-20 per cent below the figure that is calculated to a government test) but it’ll at least give you an idea of whether the battery is holding a decent charge – or enough for how you plan to use it.

Replacing an electric car battery

Lithium-ion batteries are expensive. On a smartphone they can cost $100 or more to replace.

When you have about half a tonne of them in an EV, they’re going to cost a lot more. Think tens of thousands of dollars. All of which leads to an electric car’s battery being uneconomical to replace in today’s environment.

Considering it’ll be at least seven years old when the battery fails – beyond the warranty that came with the car – it’s likely the replacement cost could be worth more than the value of the car. However, if individual battery cells fail, and you’re able to change only those faulty battery cells, it can save you a lot.

MG and Nissan pointed out that should anyone need a replacement battery once the warranty has expired it’s likely to cost a lot less than it would today due to improvements in the technology and reductions in manufacturing costs.

With Toyota hybrid cars, for example, there are companies doing relatively affordable reconditioning of the battery systems.

Sydney-based Dr Hybrid offers refurbished hybrid batteries for less than $1500. A brand-new manufacturer-sourced replacement would be about double that.

EVs are going to be a lot more expensive given their battery packs are usually 30-60 times the capacity of a hybrid. But having the scale of more used EVs will likely encourage refurbished battery businesses in future.

Harris Achmad is the manager of Dr Hybrid and says there will “definitely” be solutions for battery reconditioning once EVs become more mainstream.

“It’s only a matter of time,” he says, highlighting that with the simpler nickel-metal hydride technology used on many hybrids, the refurbishment involves reprogramming of the cells rather than replacement.

Do your research

The general manager of valuations giant Redbook, Ross Booth, says it’s important to know exactly what you’re looking at.

Many EVs undergo a technical change – sometimes changing the battery chemistry or performance – with minimal visual updates. Tech and connectivity can also change between models.

Knowing the generation of the car is important, says Booth.

“The newer the EV, the better the technology, the better the vehicle, the more it’s worth,” he says, adding that many EV buyers are well educated and want the latest technology.

The EV charger and charging cables

All EVs sold in Australia to date include some way to charge them. Some brands install a home wallbox charger while others simply supply a cable that plugs into a regular power point. Some even supply what’s known as a ‘Type 2 to Type 2’ charger, which allows you to utilise public chargers that don’t have a cable attached to the charger.

When planning to buy a used EV, you need to think about charging. While it’s impractical to expect a wall-mounted charger to come with the purchase of a used vehicle, the portable charger is a different story.

Ask the seller what charging hardware will be included and check that it’s in working order.

If the seller wants to hold onto the charging hardware it doesn’t mean you walk away from the deal. But you should use that to negotiate a lower price. A basic charger will cost a minimum of a few hundred dollars.

Look at other charging options

All EVs can be charged from a regular home power point, but they’ll take a long time to top up. If the battery is flat, you’re looking at between 15 and 40 hours, depending on the battery capacity of the EV.

Of course, most people won’t be driving hundreds of kilometres every day, so that overnight trickle charge to account for up to 30km of daily driving will work just fine.

But many will also want the convenience and added speed of a home wallbox charger. They charge at a minimum of three times the rate of a regular power point, some of them even quicker. A wallbox costs about $1500 for a basic model or you can have one controllable remotely via an app for more.

Are there phone apps included?

Some EVs have smartphone apps to operate basic functions. In the case of Teslas – by far the most popular EVs on the road – there’s an advanced app that even turns your smartphone into the car key.

When buying the car, it’s important the owner hands over control of the car to you and disconnects their phone and account from the car.

If that’s not done the person may be able to remotely activate functions such as locks and ventilation and even drive the car away.

Check in the owner’s manual (it could be a digital manual) or search online to see what you need to do for the specific model you’re looking at.

During a test drive

When you finally get behind the wheel, you’re looking for many of the same things you might experience in a petrol car. Does it track straight and corner crisply? Are there any strange noises? Do all the lights and features work?

Also, keep an eye on the battery capacity to make sure it’s dropping at a similar rate to the distance you’re covering.

It’s basic stuff. Regardless of how much you know about cars, it’s always worth bringing a friend so you have a second set of eyes. Then, if you’re serious about the car as a purchase, make sure you have it inspected.

Last updated: July 2022