Used electric cars are not so popular as of now. This is because most EVs are relatively new in the market. This also makes it somewhat challenging to find a second hand electric car. And you also are desperate to own a cheap EV fast because of sky-high fuel prices. But let’s assume for now that you do have a few options to choose from.
Pros Of Buying A Used Electric Car
Some factors will play while buying a used electric car that will work to your advantage. We all know the pros of buying an EV; these include-
1) You’ll get a relatively new car which means it would be in better condition
Since EVs have just started coming in the past couple of years, you would most probably find an EV no older than 2 years. This means that you would get your hands on a relatively newer car that would have less than 10k km on the odometer, that too for an economical rate!
2) You can bargain easily from the first owner
Think about it. Why would an owner sell a car within 1 year or so? Obviously, because they find the car unsuitable for their needs. Most people sell their electric cars due to the low range of EVs, which they find hard to live with. You can take advantage of this by bargaining hard with ’em!
On top of that, you might be able to avail of special schemes, subsidies, and incentives, depending upon which state you live in India. Read more on why Delhi Government Removed Subsidy on EVs in India
3) They go easy on the Pocket in the long term
This thing is no secret. Let’s be honest now:- most of us want to switch to an EV not to be environmentally friendly but to reduce our expenditure on filling in petrol/diesel, whose price is at all-time highs right now.
This is precisely where buying a second hand electric vehicle would excel. It provides excellent value while actually buying the car, and would be economical to run as well, considering it has to be charged and has significantly less mechanical parts that wear out.
4) EVs have their own personal advantages
Buying an EV, regardless if you’re buying a second hand electric car or a brand new one, has in itself many advantages. Some of these include- Zippy performance, quiet rides, excellent NVH levels, smooth driving experience, environment friendly, etc…
Also, read- 8 Hatchbacks With Best NVH Levels!
Cons Of Buying A Used Electric Car
While buying second hand electric cars may have many advantages to it, there are several cons for the same. These include –
1) Second hand EVs might have drained battery performance, resulting in poor range as well!
As we use electric cars, their battery performance drains with time. Just like conventional petrol/diesel cars lose their power with time. However, in the case of EVs, battery performance loses faster than regular IC engine cars.
Although we can’t comment much on this since EVs are new to the market. But while buying a used electric car, you must be ready to face lower battery performance and poorer range as well!
2) The usual problems – Charging Infrastructure, Range
Usual problems of an EV are already talked about extensively. That’s why we won’t be talking much about it. The 2 most common problems of buying an EV are the small range of an EV and very few charging stations (especially in remote regions).
Before buying an EV (regardless of it being second hand of first), one should take these two considerations as well.
3) Ensuring battery is covered under warranty since EV technology is still new
This is an obvious thing to do, but people can sometimes miss out on it. While buying a used EV, ensure that it is covered well under warranty(since EVs technology is still new and if you want to sort out any issues that might pop up, you better get a warranty).
However, warranty depends upon which car brand & model you’re going for. If you go for the most popular EV right now – Nexon EV, it has a standard battery warranty of 8 years! So check on that as well before buying a used electric car.
Resale Value – Both an advantage and disadvantage buying a second hand electric car
Electric Vehicles depreciate faster than regular petrol and diesel cars. Although there aren’t many used Electric cars for sale, you can pick one of the very few at an excellent rate! This would enable you to buy an EV at a cheap rate, even if it is relatively new.
Also Read – 5 ways to increase the resale value of your car!
To give you a rough idea, you can buy a Tata Nexon EV that has hardly 5k on the odometer and is barely 1.5 years old at 12 lakhs only! That is 4 lakhs less than the original price!
If you found this article informative, find other interesting reads at TheGoMechanicBlog
Also read a related article – How Hydrogen Cars Fare Against EVs.
