How long does a used electric car last?

You'll keep a used electric car running longer than most people think. The battery — the component buyers tend to worry about most — typically lasts ten to twenty years under normal conditions. And the electric motor? It has so few moving parts that it generally outlasts a petrol or diesel engine. In this blog you'll read how long the battery and motor of a used electric car really last, what affects their lifespan, and how to check whether a battery is still healthy.

How long does the electric motor last?

Good news: the electric motor is the most robust component of an electric car. A petrol engine has around two hundred moving parts; an electric one has roughly twenty (Milieu Centraal). Fewer moving parts means less that can wear out or break. An electric motor needs no engine oil, no timing belt, and no spark plugs — exactly the components that require regular attention on a fuel-powered car. On top of that, most electric cars don't have a traditional gearbox: there's one fixed gear, which needs barely any maintenance. Even the brakes last longer, since an EV brakes mostly using the motor rather than the brake pads.

That said, an EV isn't entirely maintenance-free. Due to the higher weight, tires wear slightly faster, and the suspension, steering, and air conditioning still need to be checked periodically. But the costly engine maintenance of a fuel-powered car largely disappears. In practice, the motor is rarely the weak link. The real question is: what shape is the battery in?

How long does the battery of a used EV last?

Under normal conditions, an electric car's battery pack stays in good condition for ten to twenty years (ANWB). Most manufacturers additionally provide an eight-year or 160,000-kilometer warranty on the battery. If something fails within that period, you won't pay for the repair yourself.

A battery does wear down, but much more slowly than you'd expect. Research from Geotab, a company that analyzes vehicle driving data, shows that an EV battery loses an average of 2.3% capacity per year. Importantly, this wear isn't linear — the biggest drop happens early on, after which degradation levels off significantly.

How healthy a battery still is gets expressed as the State of Health (SOH). SOH looks at how much capacity remains compared to when new, but also considers cell voltages, sensors, the battery management system, and communication with the car. The SOH shown on the dashboard computer is an estimate based on the manufacturer's system — useful as an indication, but not the full picture. An independent measurement looks more precisely and gives a more accurate picture of a battery's health. In this regard, tests from Aviloo are considered the most reliable in the market. In an earlier blog we explained exactly what SOH is and what counts as a healthy score.

What factors determine the lifespan of an EV battery?

Not every battery ages at the same rate. Many different factors affect how quickly a battery degrades: from charging behavior, weather conditions, and the number of charge cycles, to the age of the car and its maintenance history. We'll discuss a few here.

1. Fast charging. A fast charger demands more from the battery cells. The Geotab research found that intensive fast charging roughly doubles annual wear compared to relaxed home charging:

Frequent fast charging, above 100 kW: up to 3.0% capacity loss per year
Mainly charging at home or at a regular charging point: around 1.5% per year

2. Temperature. Heat is more damaging than cold in this context: in a warm climate, a battery degrades faster, and that loss is permanent. Cold mainly costs temporary driving range that returns once the battery warms up, and has less impact on lifespan than extreme heat (Bright).

3. Charging habits. A battery that's constantly kept near-full or near-empty wears faster. Keeping it between 20% and 80% charge causes little wear.

Lots of kilometers on the odometer: a bad choice?

Not necessarily. With a petrol car, mileage says a lot about wear, but for an electric car it's different. How it's been charged often matters more than how far it's been driven. A car that's always been charged at home can still have a healthy battery after quite a few kilometers. Meanwhile, a younger car that's constantly been hooked up to fast chargers can be in worse shape. High mileage is therefore no reason to immediately rule out a used car. What matters more is what an independent battery report says about the battery's health.

Buying a used EV: how do you know if the battery is still good?

The honest answer is that you can't tell from the outside, and not from the dashboard either. The onboard computer gives an estimate, but only an independent measurement shows how the cells, sensors, and management system are truly doing. Independent tests like those from Aviloo determine the actual SOH. So when buying a used electric car, always ask for a recent, independent battery report. That is (especially with a used car) your most important point of reference.

In short

Under normal conditions, the battery pack stays in good shape for ten to twenty years; most brands provide an eight-year or 160,000-kilometer warranty (ANWB).
A battery loses an average of about 2.3% capacity per year (Geotab). The biggest drop happens early on, then it levels off.
The electric motor generally outlasts a combustion engine: around twenty moving parts versus about two hundred (Milieu Centraal).
Fast charging and heat speed up wear; cold mainly costs temporary driving range (Bright).
When buying, always ask for an independent battery report with the current SOH.

A used electric car that still has a long life ahead

Buy a car from Eccasion, and an Aviloo battery check is always included — just like twelve months' warranty and a fourteen-day test period. That way you know exactly how the car is doing before you buy. Curious? Schedule a free intake below.

Tags:

battery range, SoH, Battery

Richard Burger