Nine out of 10 used car buyers want to know how well battery looked after by previous owners
87% back assessment on how well previous electric car owners have looked after the battery
83% want to know how long it takes to fully charge and 82% how much capacity has been lost since new, shows new Startline Used Car Tracker
Almost nine out of 10 motorists (87%) say it is important to have an independent, certified used electric car assessment showing how well previous owners have looked after the vehicle’s battery.
While 83% want to know how long the battery will take to fully charge, 82% also want verification on the amount of battery capacity that has been lost since new and 81% how much capacity it is likely to be lost in the future.
Additionally, 79% would like an indication of how much charge the battery currently holds, according to August’s Startline Used Car Tracker.
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.
“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 added that one of the promises made in the new Labour government’s manifesto was the introduction of a standardised battery health check.
“In our view, this would be a very good idea. 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.”