This morning, in his column devoted to the economy and consumption, Bruno Wattenbergh spoke about electric cars. Is it risky to buy an electric car? The question is generated by legislative pressure on fossil fuels, but also by the arrival of classified ads offering used electric cars.
We see classified ads for electric cars. By going to reference sites for car advertisements, there are, out of a total of 79,000 offers, 2,066 used electric cars for sale. If you take gasoline and diesel hybrids, that’s 5,431 vehicles with one battery. Or a little less than 7% of the second-hand market. So it becomes significant.
Should we be wary of these cars, because of their battery, or other specificities related to hybrid or electric vehicles?
Yes, it is absolutely necessary to know the state of the battery reliably, whether for an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. On the other hand, an electric vehicle contains fewer wearing parts than a thermal vehicle. So off the battery, there is less risk of buying a vehicle with future hidden costs. Buying second-hand therefore gives access to electric technology, but on the condition of checking a series of points specific to this type of vehicle.
What should you check before buying a used electric or hybrid vehicle?
The battery is the first point to check. Firstly because it is the most expensive part of an electric car, but also because it is a wearing part. Its ability to charge, store and deliver energy gradually decreases. This capacity depends on the age of the vehicle of course. But also, and there it is less easy to appreciate, it also depends on the types of refills, the weather, the more or less long immobilization, the way of driving, etc. In practice, battery wear is going to be the most important determinant of the price of a used electric car.
How can I know for sure the wear of the battery?
There is no point in cooking the current owner. The only solution is to have this battery analyzed by a dealer of the brand or by a specialized company. This will establish a state of health of the battery of the vehicle which interests you. Or rather, the scrupulous seller should provide you with this health report and the selling price will be set according to the results of this test.
What are the other points of attention when buying a used electric vehicle?
First, the socket used by the vehicle you want. If all recent electric vehicles are almost all equipped with a universal Combo connector, this is not the case for older models. Some used vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf, Peugeot Ion, Mitsubishi i-Miev, Citroën C-Zero and the first generation of the Kia Soul EV are equipped with a so-called Chademo connector. This is gradually becoming obsolete like the “Type 1” connector. Finally, some models cannot quickly charge with direct current, such as the first generations of the Renault Zoé. It doesn’t matter for a home – office – home journey of a few tens of kilometres. This will be a problem if you want to travel with this vehicle, as this involves charging at public terminals.