Here’s the uncomfortable truth: only 3% of drivers say they’d feel confident buying a used EV.
That headline alone explains a lot about the sluggish used EV market, but dig a little deeper and the story becomes one of perception lagging reality.
New research from the AA and Electrifying.com shows battery anxiety is still the elephant in the room. Over a third of drivers say a formal battery health certificate would instantly boost their confidence. And only 2% believe an EV battery lasts longer than a petrol or diesel engine, despite mounting real-world evidence that many of them do.
Data published this month by Geotab, analysing battery health from 22,700 EVs across 21 models, shows modern EV batteries are holding up extremely well, even with increased fast-charging use.
AA president Edmund King says drivers still need convincing, but the reassurance is already there: the ZEV mandate requires an eight-year / 100,000-mile battery warranty, which covers most used EVs entering the market.
Some manufacturers are already leaning in. Tesla, for example, includes built-in battery health reporting, and openly encourages others to follow suit.
The research also lands on something policymakers should be paying close attention to: used cars make up 75% of annual sales. Incentives aimed only at new EVs miss the point. Nearly 44% of drivers say targeted support for used EVs, like Scotland’s long-running interest-free loan scheme, would actively change their buying decision.
Bottom line? The technology is ahead of public confidence. Bridging that gap may be one of the biggest wins available right now.
EV Café takeaway
“This shouldn’t even be a story, but 3% have confidence at the moment. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
—Paul Kirby
The panel didn’t sugar-coat this one. Used EV confidence isn’t collapsing, it was never properly built in the first place.
Paul Kirby has been warning about this moment for years:
“We wanted to say: this is going to be a problem in three or four years’ time because the market doesn’t understand electric vehicles.”
Fleet buyers were trained, informed, and incentivised. The used-vehicle ecosystem wasn’t.
The solution? Not guesswork, proof.
“Here’s a certificate that tells you it’s at 93% or 95% and well within warranty. That changes the conversation instantly.”
—Paul Kirby
Sam Clarke added a crucial communication warning:
“We must never compare EV batteries to mobile phones. Never. Because it immediately puts the wrong idea in people’s heads.”
Battery health certificates, education at auction and dealer level, and better language, not gimmicks, are what unlock the used EV market.