EV Guides

Buy a used electric car with confidence

The battery is the most expensive part of any used EV, and the one you can't see. These guides explain what to check, what's normal, and how to read a car's real battery health and range before you buy.

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Buying a Used Electric Car: The Complete Guide

The complete guide to buying a used electric car in the UK, battery health, real-world range, warranty, charging, running costs and the checks to run before you pay.

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Battery & Range

What's inside the battery decides the car

The health of the battery decides a used EV's value. These guides explain what to check and what's normal.

Battery & Range

How to check EV battery health

How to check an electric car's battery health before you buy, what a battery health grade means, how to read real-world range now vs when new, and how to check it from just the registration.

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Battery & Range

EV battery degradation

How much do EV batteries really degrade? What a normal degradation rate looks like by age and mileage, the warning signs of a tired pack, and how to estimate a used EV's degradation before you buy.

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Battery & Range

Real-world EV range

WLTP range vs the range a used EV actually delivers. Why the advert figure is optimistic, how much range a second-hand EV loses with age and cold, and how to check the real-world range now.

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Battery & Range

EV battery warranty

How electric car battery warranties work, the typical 8-year/100,000-mile capacity cover, what triggers a claim, how much transfers to you, and how to check the warranty remaining on a used EV.

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Battery & Range

Why EVs lose range

Why a used electric car does fewer miles than it used to, battery ageing, high mileage, rapid charging, cold weather and driving style, plus how long EV batteries last and what you can control.

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Battery & Range

Longest-range used EVs

The longest-range used electric cars on the UK market, ranked by official WLTP figures with real-world estimates, and how to check what a specific car still delivers.

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Buying a Used EV

Shop for a second-hand EV like you've done it before

Confidence-first guides for anyone shopping for a second-hand electric car.

Buying a Used EV

Used EV buying checklist

A 10-point checklist for buying a used electric car: battery health, real-world range, warranty remaining, MOT and mileage history, charging and the paperwork to see before you hand over any money.

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Buying a Used EV

Is it safe to buy a used EV?

Is it safe to buy a used electric car? How reliable second-hand EVs really are, whether the battery will fail, what a used EV costs to run and own, and the one check that removes most of the risk.

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