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

Battery State of Health (SoH)

State of Health (SoH) is the single number that tells you how much life is left in a used EV's battery. Here's exactly what it means and how to read it.

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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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Battery & Range

Warranty by manufacturer

Compare EV battery warranties across every major UK brand: years, mileage, capacity thresholds and transfer rules, so you know what's left on a used EV.

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Battery & Range

Battery health & resale value

Battery State of Health is now the biggest factor in what a used EV sells for, ahead of mileage and age. Here's how it's priced, and how to protect yours.

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Battery & Range

EV battery replacement cost

How much does it actually cost to replace an EV battery, and how likely is it? Honest UK figures by model, plus the repair options most guides never mention.

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Battery & Range

What voids the warranty

What actually voids an electric car's battery warranty, and the common worries that don't. Covers exclusions, fast charging myths and independent servicing.

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Battery & Range

Warranty vs battery health

Still under warranty doesn't mean healthy battery. Here's why a used EV can be fully covered and still have lost a third of its range, with no claim available.

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Battery & Range

How long batteries last

Real data from tens of thousands of EVs: how long batteries actually last, how fast they degrade, and how often they genuinely need replacing.

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Battery & Range

Check remaining warranty

Work out exactly how much battery warranty is left on a used electric car, by registration, VIN or manufacturer, before you agree a price.

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Battery & Range

Does the warranty transfer?

Most EV battery warranties transfer with the car, but not all. Here's how transfers work in the UK, the exceptions to watch for, and how to verify before you buy.

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Battery & Range

When the warranty expires

Your EV's battery warranty has run out, what now? What the risk actually is, whether to buy an out-of-warranty EV, and what your options are.

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Battery & Range

Making a warranty claim

Think your EV's battery has degraded below its warranty threshold? Here's the claim process step by step, what evidence you need, and what to do if you're refused.

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Battery & Range

Cold weather range loss

How much range an EV really loses in a UK winter, why it happens, and the one specification check that makes the biggest difference when buying used.

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Battery & Range

Efficient EV driving

Most efficiency guides only tell you how to get further today. This one also covers what protects your battery's health, and therefore what your car is worth later.

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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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Buying a Used EV

Finance & write-off checks

What outstanding finance and write-off markers mean, why they matter more on an electric car, and how to check before you hand over any money.

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Buying a Used EV

Used EV red flags

The warning signs that a used EV is worth walking away from, covering the car, the battery, the paperwork and the seller.

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Buying a Used EV

Private vs dealer

Your legal protection differs enormously between a private sale and a dealer. Here's what changes when the car is electric, and how to protect yourself either way.

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Owning & Running an EV

Know what it costs before you commit

What an electric car really costs and what living with one is like, from charging and servicing to insurance and tyres.

Owning & Running an EV

Electric car running costs

What an EV actually costs to run in the UK: charging, servicing, insurance, tax and tyres, with honest figures and the costs most guides leave out.

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Owning & Running an EV

EV jargon glossary

Every EV term you’ll run into when buying used, explained simply. SoH, kWh, CCS, regen, LFP, WLTP and the rest, without the sales speak.

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Owning & Running an EV

Fast vs slow charging

Does rapid charging damage your EV battery? What the data says, how much difference it really makes, and when it’s worth using slow charging instead.

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Owning & Running an EV

EV charging costs

What charging an electric car actually costs in the UK, from 7p per kWh at home overnight to 79p on a motorway rapid. Real figures and worked examples.

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Owning & Running an EV

EV servicing costs

What EV servicing actually costs, what’s in a service, what you’ll never pay for again, and the one maintenance cost that’s higher than a petrol car’s.

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Owning & Running an EV

EV depreciation

How fast EVs lose value in 2026, which models hold up best, why used prices are still falling, and why that’s good news if you’re buying rather than selling.

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Owning & Running an EV

Electric car insurance

EV insurance costs around 10 to 15% more than petrol equivalents, but the gap is closing fast. Here’s why, which models buck the trend, and how to cut your premium.

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Owning & Running an EV

EV charging connectors

Which plug does your EV use, what each connector does, and why CHAdeMO matters if you're buying a used Nissan Leaf.

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Owning & Running an EV

EV tyre wear

Electric cars get through tyres faster than petrol equivalents. Here's how much faster, why it happens, what it costs, and how to slow it down.

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Owning & Running an EV

EV vs petrol maintenance

What disappears from the service schedule when you go electric, what stays, and the few things that actually need more attention than on a petrol car.

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Owning & Running an EV

Common EV faults

The problems that actually crop up on used electric cars, how serious each one is, and which are cheap fixes versus reasons to walk away.

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Owning & Running an EV

Do EVs have gears?

Almost all electric cars have a single fixed gear and no gearbox. Here's why they don't need one, what the exceptions are, and what that means for driving.

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Model guides

See all models →

EV Model Guides

Typical battery, range and warranty by model, plus the used-buyer watch-outs for each.

Nissan Leaf

Hatchback · 2011-present

Buy a used electric car with confidence

Buying a Used Electric Car: The Complete Guide

What's inside the battery decides the car

How to check EV battery health

EV battery degradation

Battery State of Health (SoH)

Real-world EV range

EV battery warranty

Why EVs lose range

Longest-range used EVs

Warranty by manufacturer

Battery health & resale value

EV battery replacement cost

What voids the warranty

Warranty vs battery health

How long batteries last

Check remaining warranty

Does the warranty transfer?

When the warranty expires

Making a warranty claim

Cold weather range loss

Efficient EV driving

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

Used EV buying checklist

Is it safe to buy a used EV?

Finance & write-off checks

Used EV red flags

Private vs dealer

Know what it costs before you commit

Electric car running costs

EV jargon glossary

Fast vs slow charging

EV charging costs

EV servicing costs

EV depreciation

Electric car insurance

EV charging connectors

EV tyre wear

EV vs petrol maintenance

Common EV faults

Do EVs have gears?

EV Model Guides

Nissan Leaf

Tesla Model 3

Renault Zoe

Volkswagen ID.3

Kia e-Niro

Jaguar I-Pace

BMW i3

MG ZS EV

Hyundai Kona Electric

Polestar 2

Tesla Model S

Vauxhall Corsa-e

Peugeot e-208

Fiat 500e

Tesla Model Y

MINI Electric

Volkswagen ID.4

Audi e-tron

Volkswagen e-Golf

Hyundai Ioniq Electric

MG4 EV

Skoda Enyaq

Mercedes-Benz EQC

Vauxhall Mokka Electric

Ford Mustang Mach-E

Kia Soul EV

Kia EV6

Hyundai Ioniq 5

Volvo XC40 Recharge

Cupra Born

Citroën e-C4

MG5 EV

Volkswagen e-Up

Honda e

Mazda MX-30

Smart EQ ForTwo

DS 3 E-Tense

Lexus UX 300e