Electric vehicle buyers issued with winter warning
Drivers have been warned about the potential risks of buying and electric vehicle during cold weather.
Batteries can be negatively impacted by cold temperatures, meaning range during winter can be significantly lower than during summer.
To ensure car buyers know exactly what they are getting, used car search platform MOTORS and Martin Miller of EV dealership EV Experts have outlined the steps to follow to accurately check the car’s battery health.
Miller said: “To check the car’s range, start by asking your dealer to fully charge the car. While it’s being charged, visit the online EV database and find the real-world range that the car should achieve. Once fully charged, the car’s actual range should come close to aligning with the real-world range listed on the EV database.
“Providing it is, reset the trip meter and take the car out for a test drive. The range should decrease by the distance you’ve travelled. For example, if you go for a 20-mile drive, the meter should go down by 20 miles. If it doesn’t, you need to ask some questions as this signifies there could be an underlying issue with the battery.”
Steven Edwards, motoring editor of MOTORS, added:
“With a record number of used battery electric vehicles (BEVs) being purchased last quarter, it is evident there’s a growing demand for EVs in the second-hand market. While many people are familiar with the essential checks they must carry out before buying a petrol or diesel car, this often isn’t the case for used EVs.
“We want to empower those making the switch to go electric to make educated buying decisions and assessing the range of a vehicle is an integral part of this.”
