Electric cars can be good for the environment, and in the coming years, they will go down in price. But, for now, an electric vehicle can be expensive to get in certain parts of the world. Can a used electric car be the right car for you?
Used electric vehicles are not as popular as other used cars at this time. Most electric cars are new in the market, thus making it difficult to find a second-hand electric cars. However, they are making their way into the used car market.
Here are some reasons to buy a used electric car:
The car will probably be newer. This is because electric vehicles have not been on the market for many years, so while a used gasoline car might be older, an electric car would be newer.
Bargaining cost with the first owner will be possible. A first owner who likes his electric car will not sell his car for used car prices, indicating that the cars on the used market were owned by owners who were dissatisfied with the electric car. This can be due to range issues or battery charging issues.
There are advantages to buying electric vehicles including quiet commute, environment protection, savings on gas etc.
However, there are downsides to getting an used electric vehicle. There are, for example, the usual problems of charging infrastructure and range. The range of EVs are small and the charging infrastructure is available in very few places.
There are problems which arise only when buying an used EV. EVs use batteries as opposed to fuel, like a phone. And like a phone, the EV uses a lithium-ion battery, which tends to lose capacity to hold charge after being used for a while. There is no effective way for a customer to evaluate the battery of a used EV car.
High-end EV models like Tesla tend to hold their health relatively well, because they use advanced technology, which also makes them expensive to buy, both on the new car market and on the resale market. Tesla S and X models are said to hold 80% capacity to hold their charge even after they cover 200,000 miles.
In conclusion, there are both advantages and disadvantages to buying a electric vehicle from the resale market. The primary concern in the customer's mind while getting a EV from resale market is the battery capacity.