Tell me, Roscoe, who’s buying used EVs? I mean, what sort of a person would buy a used EV instead of a new one?

All the budget conscious, forward thinking, environmentally friendly, brothers, uncles, cousins, sisters, aunties, grandparents. They’re all looking at used EVs as a fantastic way to get into the used EV market, at a reasonable price.

Many are buying a used EV as a second car, as well as their petrol car.  We don’t mind, just as long as they get into the used EV market.  

Whether they’re saving a Nissan Leaf from the scrapyard or buying a Tesla Model 3 for around 50K, it makes a great deal of sense.

Tell us some of the things that make buying a used EV different from buying a new EV or basically any other car.

For a start, buying your first used EV will be unlike any other experience, buying a used car before.  It’ll be an amazing experience. 

And EVs are so much simpler, there’s so much less to worry about. 

Sure, there’s the normal car health checks and market reports that you go into with any used car, to make sure that the car hasn’t been an accident, you’re getting free title, and that the body and general service standards have been up to scratch.  But there’s so much less to do in terms of servicing a used EV car.  And used EV owners are so fastidious, that most cars that have done 20 or 30,000 Ks are in excellent condition.

But we created AmazingEV to be a safe place for used EV buyers and sellers.  Here’s a place where you can find all you need to know about buying used EVs.  Different brands, what they offer, make some comparisons between one and another, and we’ll be there to support you through the process of buying or selling 

Rosco, tell us honestly, how long do you think a used EV will last? And how does it compare to a used petrol car?

Some say a car’s life ends when the cost to fix it is more than its value, say around the 11 year mark, which coincidentally in 

Australia is about the age of the average used car!  We don’t really see the expected average age of used EVs to be any different, except, you’ll take the biggest asset, the battery, and it’ll get a second life as a home storage unit or go on to be recycled some other way.

What about EV batteries?  Surely, they’re going to wear out sooner or later.

Ah, the old battery life question!  Well, what do we know so far?  We know that new car manufacturers are offering a seven-to-eight-year warranties, 150 to 160,000 kilometers in some case, on a new EV’s.  So that’s a start.  They’re confident batteries are going to last at least that long.

We also know that battery technology, while new, has been around for a while in Teslas, and so far the results have been excellent. 

And there’s companies in the States (USA) that are actually tracking this, recording data of live fleets.  And they know that a Tesla 

Model 3 typically loses about 5% in the first year, and then 1% after that, for a total loss of about 15% over 10 years.

In reality, it’s only going to give you reduced capacity, less range, it’s not going to slow the car down. So, we expect about 10 or 11 years battery life. And the rest of the EV with so few moving parts is really just getting started.

What other things should a used EV buyer be on the lookout for? What other things could go wrong?

Amazing thing is how much simpler EVs are.  EV owners are going to save thousands on maintenance alone, let alone the running costs of not having to buy petrol.

It’s just a motor and no gearbox, and other complicated systems, there’s just so much less to go wrong.  We do encourage EV buyers to do a history check and get a full report on the vehicle, inspection from someone like the NRMA, or someone who’s EV qualified, to check for all sorts of things you would, body, tires, brakes, all that sort of thing.

And a Market History Report, which gives you information like, if there’s any finance owing, or if it’s been in an accident.  But we found with most used EVs, even those that have done 10, 20, 30,000 kilometres, EV owners are so fastidious, and some of these cars are in incredible condition.  They’re almost like brand new.

Rosco, where would you suggest people start looking for a used EV?  Is it the regular channels: going to a dealer, looking online, going to a private buyer?

There’s already lots of used EVs advertised online at the moment.  From existing dealers and other marketplaces.  We really didn’t think there was a dedicated place to buy a used EV.

We bought our own Tesla Model Y through an existing used car dealer. And we weren’t totally happy with the process. We found that a lot of the existing marketplaces and dealers just weren’t set up for their specialist needs for EV buyers and sellers.

And that got us thinking, wouldn’t it be great to have a dedicated used EV marketplace?

Somewhere where used EV buyers and sellers can go, share information, list their cars, get all they need to make informed choices and get the best price when they’re selling.  Of course, a lot of the existing marketplaces are full of other types of used cars, if you know what I mean.

 Rosco, is there anywhere else, somewhere dedicated perhaps to just helping used EV buyers and sellers?

Well, we think you need a different take on things.  Somewhere that’ll help you see, discover all the differences in the hidden features of an EV and particularly a used EV.  Somewhere that’s EV friendly and has a great selection of used EVs and only EVs.

You need AmazingEV, Australia’s dedicated used EV marketplace. (www.AmazingEV.com.au).  There you can find an amazing range of used EVs, just EVs and a whole lot of information about what to look for when you’re buying a used EV.

Tell me, what sort of help does amazing EV offer for used EV buyers and sellers?

AmazingEV is more than just a marketplace for used EV buyers and sellers.  It’s a community for used EV people.  We’re helping sellers prepare their vehicle, get the best result, get the best photos, in the right location.  Adding some video on our listing as well and preparing the description and the vehicle for sale as best they can to get the best result as fast as they can.

And we help buyers with information on used EVs across all brands, all markets, with information updates and all sorts of tips and guides.  We’ve found that EV sellers and EV owners, in general, are the biggest advocates for EVs.  And when it comes time to sell, it’s obvious for a buyer that it’s usually owned by a dedicated, conscientious EV owner.

It’s also good to know, from the seller’s perspective, that the EV buyers are a pretty savvy bunch.  They’ve done their research, and they know their stuff.  So they know their EVs and they’re looking forward to buying an EV.

Rosco, what are some of the main challenges that used EV buyers are facing right now?

That’s a really good question, Josephine.  And as with any new technology, early adopters are usually going to pay a bit of a premium until prices settle down and there’s always going be some pricing volatility.  And we’ve seen that with the used EV market as well as new prices bounce around a bit.

But as the market settles down, we think used EV values will settle with it as well and, there’ll always be a market for used EVs.  As the market establishes itself, it’s also taking a little bit longer than a regular car to sell.

As the popularity of EVs increases, we expect used EV demand to increase also.

And do you have any tips for used EV sellers?  How can they get the best price and the best result for their EV?

Of course, we’re sticklers for cleanliness.  So, make sure your car’s been cleaned, maybe professionally (if you want to go that far), but make sure it presents as well as it possibly can to any prospective buyer.  It’s amazing how much high-def cameras pick up any speck of dust on the inside.

We also recommend as many high-quality photos as possible.  Take shots from around the car, inside the car, any special features that you might have.  There’s a photo guide on the amazing EV website, and there’s no doubt we think the better the photos, the faster the result of selling any car.

Once you’re created, you’re listening on AmazingEV, we encourage you to share that media with as many people you know in your networks, across as many platforms as possible.  You never know where a buyer’s going to come from.

Of course, we have tools on the site to get valuable market research about the used EV marketplace.  Give you some sort of guide of what your used EV is worth and what similar vehicles have been sold for more recently.