Low carbon travel

Buying a second hand electric car or van

Are second hand electric cars worth buying?

New electric cars and vans are often more expensive than petrol or diesel vehicles, but buying a used electric vehicle can cut costs. You’ll still get the benefits of cheaper refuelling, lower tax and lower maintenance costs.

Find out more about the different types of electric cars and vans or motorbikes and mopeds and microcars.

You might be concerned that older electric vehicles might have a reduced driving range due to the battery wearing out. However, battery decline over time is relatively small. Usually there’s roughly a 10% reduction in battery range after 5 years.

Most car manufacturers offer warranties, some of up to eight years, which guarantee repair or replacement if the battery capacity drops below a certain level.
Currently, V5 logbooks don’t include technical details relevant to electric vehicles, so make sure to check the specification of the vehicle will work for you.  Electric vehicles have fewer things to check internally due to the electric engine which has fewer moving parts, however the information provided by dealers might be incomplete.

Be sure to ask about battery size, maximum charging speed and if the battery is leased. You should also ask to test drive the car with a full battery so you can see the state of the battery and range yourself.

Remember that battery sizes vary between model, years and specification. Vehicles with a larger capacity battery (in KWh) will usually have a longer range and tend to be more expensive due to demand.

Some electric cars charge quicker than others more quickly than others, depending on its charging capability.
- An electric car using a slow chargepoint (up to 3.7kW AC), will recharge in around 4-8 hours.
- Cars using a fast chargepoint (8 to 49kW), will recharge in 2-4 hours.
- Cars using a rapid charging (50kW AC or 149kW) charge to 80% in around half an hour.
You should also find out if your used electric car has a leased battery, as you will need to add this monthly cost into your purchase decision. However, leasing a battery may mean you get full breakdown cover as standard and the vehicle may be cheaper to buy.