What should buyers of second-hand EVs consider as more vehicles hit the used-car market?By Ellen PhiddianABC ScienceTopic:Electric Vehicles3h ago3 hours agoMon 5 May 2025 at 9:00pmAs EV sales rise, considerations need to be made for the second-hand market. (Unsplash: Andrew Roberts)abc.net.au/news/electric-vehicles-secondhand-regulations-evs-battery-performance/105177202Link copiedShareShare articleMillions of cars are bought and sold in Australia each year. At the moment, most of them are second-hand, petrol-fuelled vehicles.But that pattern is changing. Electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid cars are growing in popularity, driven in part by government and organisation pledges to electrify their fleets.Vehicle efficiency standards, which are set to come into effect in July, should also see more EVs on the roads.So as EVs start to filter through to the used-car market in greater numbers, what should prospective buyers consider before they make a purchase?Battery quality important, but usually underestimatedGail Broadbent, an electric vehicle researcher at the University of New South Wales, says battery quality is the biggest concern used-EV buyers have.But she also says used EVs typically have much better battery capacity than consumers expect."There's a big discrepancy with what people think and what the actuality is," Dr Broadbent says.Manufacturing warranties typically guarantee that an EV battery will retain at least 70 per cent of its original charge over eight to 10 years.Most cars outperform this warranty.This is partially due to the way that battery performance is tested. Lab-based tests completely discharge and recharge batteries on a frequent cycle to see how they retain their charge."Whereas in real life ... car manufacturers recommend that people keep the battery somewhere between 20 per cent and 80 per cent," Dr Broadbent says. This keeps the battery in much better shape.A new charging technology could help EV-owners save on power bills in 2025 — but there's a catchPhoto shows A close-up of an orange electricity cable plugged into a car.Vehicle-to-grid charging promises to save households money and get more value out of EV batteries. Here's how to take advantage of "V2G".Other aspects of real-world use, such as the tiny charges collected from regenerative braking, also appear to extend EV battery lifetime.Given enough time, batteries will inevitably degrade.This doesn't happen uniformly — battery performance can often drop quickly in a new car.This sometimes gives new owners the impression their battery will lose capacity much faster, but the batteries tend to stabilise after a few years and lose capacity at a slower rate.New batteries and fast chargers, such as BYD's five-minute charger, should also see a wider variety of EV technology in Australia. (Unsplash: Michael Marais)Kai Li Lim, an EV researcher at the University of Queensland, says a range of factors can accelerate battery degradation, leading to some older EVs with notably reduced ranges.Anything that heats the battery can wear them down faster, including warmer climates, excessive fast charging, and frequently powering the battery up to full."But the reality about battery degradation is that with the average age of EVs in the market, it's not really something that we can clearly observe," Dr Lim says.More years of EV use — and more research — will generate clearer answers.Checking an EV batteryIf you're considering buying a used EV, Dr Broadbent says it's still important to check the battery health, because "not everybody is kind to their car".Electric vehicles usually show estimates for the distance you can expect from a full battery charge.But this readout isn't necessarily accurate. Like manufacturers' warranties, it often underestimates and sometimes overestimates the battery capacity."That range that's written on the car is an average of the last five trips, and if [the driver] used the air conditioner or the heater, it's going to reduce the range," Dr Broadbent points out.BYD takes on Tesla with ultra-fast EV chargersPhoto shows People stand around a car with all its doors open with a sign in beg letters on the wall behind reading BYD.Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD has unveiled its ultra-fast charger that promises to take just five minutes to fully power EVs — putting heat on rival Tesla in the process.Instead, she says more accurate readouts of battery health can be obtained from an onboard diagnostics scanner.At the moment, there is no standardised way to check EV battery health in Australia. Businesses such as insurers and used car dealers offer checks to people planning to buy or sell used EVs. The cost of these checks can vary widely.The European Union introduced legislation last year that included an effort to standardise EV battery checks.Rusty Langdon, a sustainability researcher at University of Technology Sydney (UTS), would like to see similar legislation in Australia."We're sort of at the whim of the market without Australian regulation that echoes that," they say.Scott Dwyer, also a sustainability researcher at UTS, adds that there needs to be a suitable workforce to accommodate this."Training to traditional vehicle mechanics and funding for those small businesses to help them invest in their special diagnostic tools."Broadening used-EV uptakeWhile standardisation could help with sales and consumer confidence, other policies will be needed to improve the supply of EVs in Australia.Dr Dwyer says electrifying commercial fleets is a crucial way to increase EV uptake."About half of new car sales in Australia are sold into fleets," he says, adding that roughly a fifth of those sales are currently EVs."They are an important source of well-maintained and affordable EVs."Dr Dwyer's research has also found people are more comfortable with the idea of buying or owning a personal EV after using one for work.At the moment, the largest proportion of EV buyers are people living in outer suburbs of large cities. These people typically drive a lot and have easy access to cheap home charging, making EVs a sensible cost saver. Uptake is also high in inner metro areas.Dr Lim wants to see more incentives for fleet EVs to increase uptake to other parts of Australia."You need a nice and robust second-hand car market of used EVs in order to make EVs more accessible to the general population," he says."The best way to make them cheaper is to put them through the second-hand car market, and the best way to put them through the second-hand car market is to have fleet uptakes."He also wants to see better standards for checking battery quality for use after they're no longer suitable for an EV.Lithium-ion waste soaringPhoto shows A pile of burnt blue batteries on asphalt Australia's annual lithium-ion battery waste is tipped to hit 137,000 tonnes by 2035 amid urgent calls for dedicated recycling facilities.EV batteries can be used for other purposes, such as home batteries, when they're no longer powerful enough to take cars long distances."In due time, especially when lithium-ion batteries start to deplete, there will be a demand for this [EV battery repurposing]," Dr Lim says.Mx Langdon agrees."We don't have a really good understanding of battery lifetimes at the moment," they say."It would be good to have a better understanding of typical lifetime so that we can understand what the pathways are for second-hand vehicles and what consumers can expect."Science in your inboxGet all the latest science stories from across the ABC.Your information is being handled in accordance with the ABC Privacy Collection Statement.Email addressSubscribePosted 3h ago3 hours agoMon 5 May 2025 at 9:00pmShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesNationals deputy leader 'shattered' she will likely lose Senate seatLIVEPhoto shows Perin Davey listens to a press conference by Water Minister Tanya Plibersek at Parliament HouseSea of solar gives a clue why Australians chose batteries over nuclear Topic:Energy PolicyPhoto shows Electricians place solar panels on roofGreens' Adam Bandt in danger as seat of Melbourne remains on knife's edgeTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows A composite photo of a brunette woman, brown haired man with glasses, blonde woman with glasses and dark haired man.After millions of dollars and texts, Trumpet of Patriots fails to deliverTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows Palmer scratches his head.The timeline prosecutors allege in the mushroom murder trialTopic:ExplainerPhoto shows A woman standing in front of her car.Related stories'Range anxiety' worse than usual for EV owners with chargers down and queuesTopic:Electric VehiclesPhoto shows a man sits in the drivers seat of a carTesla quarterly sales plummet amid Elon Musk backlashTopic:Automotive IndustryPhoto shows Elon Musk stands infront of the smashed windows of a CybertruckCoalition to abolish 'ute tax' fuel efficiency standardsTopic:Automotive IndustryPhoto shows Rows of cars in a car park, with stacked shipping containers behind them.Related topicsAustraliaAutomotive IndustryBrisbaneElectric VehiclesEnvironmentRoad Transport IndustryScience and TechnologySydneyTop StoriesNationals deputy leader 'shattered' she will likely lose Senate seatTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows Perin Davey listens to a press conference by Water Minister Tanya Plibersek at Parliament HouseSea of solar gives a clue why Australians chose batteries over nuclear Topic:Energy PolicyGreens' Adam Bandt in danger as seat of Melbourne remains on knife's edgeTopic:ElectionsAfter millions of dollars and texts, Trumpet of Patriots fails to deliverTopic:ElectionsThe timeline prosecutors allege in the mushroom murder trialTopic:ExplainerJust InErin Patterson's mushroom murder trial resumesLIVEJust nowTue 6 May 2025 at 12:22amFarmers urged to 'hold firm' on policies upon Labor's returnTopic:Elections7m ago7 minutes agoTue 6 May 2025 at 12:16amM1 scrap metal spill damage bill rises as drivers claim tyre repairsTopic:Road Accidents and Incidents32m ago32 minutes agoMon 5 May 2025 at 11:51pmCalls for 'tough decisions' as drought threatens famously clear SA dive spotsTopic:Environmental Management35m ago35 minutes agoMon 5 May 2025 at 11:48pmMore Just InBack to top