Battery assessments before purchase key to EV buyers

New research has revealed that nearly all buyers of used electric vehicles believe independent battery assessments are important before making a purchase.

The study found that 87% of motorists think a verified EV battery assessment is important, with 83% wanting to know how long the battery will take to fully charge, 82% interested in the amount of battery capacity lost since new, and 81% curious about how much capacity it is likely to be lost in the future.

August’s Startline Used Car Tracker also found that 79% would like an indication of how much charge the battery currently holds.

Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said:

“Probably the number one fear that consumers have when buying a used electric car is that the battery will fail or otherwise degrade very quickly. They know it could cost several thousand pounds to buy a replacement.”

Battery assessments

Burgess added: “In real-world conditions, these worries are largely proving to be unfounded. There are now millions of electric cars on roads across the world and battery degradation is generally happening much more slowly than anticipated while outright battery failure, although not unknown, remains a rare occurrence.

“However, used car buyers clearly want reassurance and some form of formal testing that shows the battery of the vehicle they are considering buying has been well-looked-after, with a good idea of how it is likely to perform in the future, is probably the best available solution to allay their worries.”

He continued:

“Having a government-backed and approved battery test that provided the information consumers want would be a very real boost for the used electric car market, especially if it was backed by some form of warranty.”