Something interesting is happening in the used car market.
EVs that cost £40,000 to £50,000 new three or four years ago are now appearing on forecourts and AutoTrader listings for £18,000 to £25,000. Early Tesla Model 3s, Nissan Leafs, first generation Kia e-Niros, BMW i3s — all available at prices that make the EV conversation accessible to buyers who couldn't consider it at new car prices.
If you look at earlier EV’s, like my own Kia Soul EV which was new in 2016, you could pick up a good one for £4k!
The question is whether those prices reflect genuine value or whether they're low for a reason.
The honest answer is: both, depending entirely on what you buy and what you check before you buy it.
WHY USED EV PRICES HAVE DROPPED SO FAR
Three things drove the significant depreciation in early EVs.
First, the technology moved fast. A 2019 EV with 150 miles of real world range feels genuinely different to a 2024 EV with 250 miles. Buyers know this and price older vehicles accordingly.
Second, government grants and incentives that existed when many of these cars were bought new have reduced or disappeared, removing some of the financial logic that supported higher prices.
Third, and most significantly, battery anxiety. The single biggest concern every used EV buyer has — whether stated or not — is what happens to the battery. Does it degrade? How much? What does a replacement cost? Those questions have depressed used EV values across the board, sometimes more than the reality warrants.
That battery anxiety is both rational and frequently overstated. Let me explain why.
THE BATTERY QUESTION — WHAT YOU ACTUALLY NEED TO KNOW
EV batteries do degrade over time. That is simply true. The question is by how much and whether it matters.
Real world data from high mileage EVs — particularly the Tesla Model 3 and Model S which have been around long enough to generate meaningful data — is more reassuring than most people expect. Recurrent's tracking of real-world Tesla batteries shows around 5 percent loss at three years and roughly 7 percent at five, with most of the degradation happening in the first 10,000 to 20,000 miles before it flattens out. Tesla's own reporting on the Model S and Model Y puts average loss at 12 to 15 percent even after 200,000 miles. A car that originally did 250 miles might still be doing 210 to 220 miles well past the 100,000 mile mark.
For most people's daily driving that degradation is entirely manageable. If your daily commute is 40 miles and you have a home charger, a battery at 85 percent of original capacity is not a problem.
The cases where degradation matters are long distance driving, cars that were regularly rapid charged to 100 percent and depleted to near zero, and early generation vehicles with smaller batteries where even modest degradation meaningfully affects real world usability.
The Nissan Leaf deserves a specific mention here. Early Leafs — particularly pre-2018 models — used air cooled batteries that degrade faster than the liquid cooled systems most manufacturers now use. A 2016 Leaf with 80,000 miles may have lost 25 to 30 percent of its original capacity. That's a real concern and one of the few cases where battery degradation genuinely affects the ownership proposition.
For liquid cooled batteries — Tesla, Kia, Hyundai, BMW, and most others — the degradation story is considerably more reassuring.
HOW TO CHECK BATTERY HEALTH BEFORE YOU BUY
This is the single most important thing you can do when considering a used EV and it's more straightforward than most people realise.
State of Health reading — most modern EVs can display or report a State of Health percentage that tells you what proportion of original battery capacity remains. Ask the seller or dealer to show you this figure. If they can't or won't, that tells you something.
For Teslas, the battery information is accessible through the car's own menu system. For Kias and Hyundais a dealer or specialist can pull the figure via diagnostic software. Some models display it directly in the car's settings.
A third party battery health check service gives you an independent assessment. Independent EV specialists — Cleevely EV Mobile, EV Battery Expert, and similar — typically charge from around £50 to £150 for a standalone battery health check. The AA's Advanced vehicle inspection also includes an EV-specific digital battery test, but as part of its full inspection package it runs considerably more — from around £250 to £340. On a £20,000 purchase, even the higher figure is money well spent.
At the very least, even a 2016 EV can show how many miles per Kw and will show available range. This is almost based on real world driving rather than official figures. My Kia Soul EV is 10 years old this year, when new, it had around 94 miles range. Today, it tops out at about 79 miles range in the summer, low 70’s in the winter. As this car is only ever used for short trips to the beach or errands to my local town, this range is rarely a concern. That said, if I needed this car for road trips, it would be a painful experience!
Anything above 85 percent State of Health is generally considered good. Between 75 and 85 percent is acceptable depending on price and your use case. Below 75 percent on a vehicle you're considering for regular long distance use is a reason for serious caution.
WHICH USED EVs ARE WORTH CONSIDERING
Based on real world reliability data and ownership experience, these are the used EVs that represent genuine value at current market prices:
Tesla Model 3 — remains the benchmark for used EV value. Supercharger access, strong software support, well understood battery degradation curve, huge owner community. Buy with confidence if the battery health checks out.
Kia e-Niro and Soul EV — I own a Soul EV and can speak to its reliability directly. Solid build quality, liquid cooled battery, Kia's generous warranty coverage transfers to subsequent owners in many cases. Underrated in the used market.
Hyundai Kona Electric — shares its platform with the Kia e-Niro. Same reliability story, slightly different packaging. Good used value.
BMW i3 — quirky, characterful, and now extremely affordable. The range extender version adds a small petrol engine for emergency use which removes range anxiety entirely. Parts and servicing are BMW dealer territory which adds cost, but the cars themselves are robust.
What to approach with more caution: early Nissan Leafs as discussed, first generation Renault Zoes with rented rather than owned batteries, and any EV from a manufacturer that has since exited the market or significantly changed their software support policy.
THE WARRANTY QUESTION
Most EV manufacturers offer an eight year or 100,000 mile battery warranty on new vehicles. The critical question for used buyers is whether that warranty transfers and what remains of it.
Kia and Hyundai warranties are generally transferable to subsequent owners — one of the reasons their used values hold up relatively well and why buying a three year old Kia EV is a significantly lower risk proposition than it might appear.
Tesla's warranty is vehicle rather than owner specific, so it transfers with the car. Check the remaining coverage carefully before buying.
Always ask for documentary evidence of any remaining warranty rather than taking a seller's word for it.
THE HONEST VERDICT
The used EV market in 2026 represents genuine value for buyers who do their homework. The depreciation that has made early EV adopters wince is the used buyer's opportunity.
The rules are simple. Check the battery health independently. Understand the warranty position. Avoid early Leafs unless the price reflects the battery risk. Favour liquid cooled batteries from manufacturers with good reliability records.
Do those things and a used EV at current market prices is one of the more interesting value propositions in the used car market. The technology that felt cutting edge in 2020 is more than adequate for most people's needs in 2026 and it's now available at prices that make the running cost savings genuinely transformative.
Matt
Charging Up
chargingup.uk
P.S. Have you bought or are you considering a used EV? What's your biggest concern? Hit reply — I read everything and your questions shape future issues.