Everything is getting more expensive these days, so it’s not necessarily the best time to buy a new electric car. Reason enough to look into a used model. Whether that’s really a good idea remains to be seen.
Saving money on refueling and qualifying for reimbursement: we can say that electric driving is quite attractive. Sales prices are dropping faster than gasoline-powered cars, so in that respect a used model should be a good option anyway. Well, not quite.
Should you even get started on a used electric car?
The market for electric cars is currently relatively small, but growing rapidly. This means that many vehicles are still owned by their original owners, and the market for used electric cars is still very limited.
Moreover, the EV industry is developing at a rapid pace. New developments and improved features follow each other in rapid succession. Many electric cars available today will quickly become obsolete for this reason.
Early models, such as the Nissan Leaf, for example, can be found for relatively low prices, but they lack many basic features, such as cooling systems and improved range. A decade-old EV is then a lot less practical to use, especially compared to a gasoline-powered car of the same age.
The Nissan Leaf (Image: Nissan)
Some used models are more expensive
On the other end of the spectrum are more recent models of electric cars. Those used versions actually sell more expensively than a brand new model. A mix of supply chain problems and a drop in production of new models allows sellers to charge higher prices.
About 17.5 percent of the used EV market consists of electric cars that are only three years old and cost almost as much as a new car or even more. You can still find a good deal on the used market, but you have to watch out for overpriced sales. After all, it’s never a good idea to spend too much money on a used vehicle.
