Updated February 4, 2025
By Rick Cotta
Note: There’s now a $4000 tax credit for used EVs as part of the Clean Vehicle Credit, which is described under the “EV Tax Credit Info” icon (a “$“) on the home page. Note, however, that there’s a $25,000 price limit, a buyer-income cap of $75,000, the requirement that it be purchased from a dealer, and other rules that have to be met to qualify for the $4000 tax credit.
Also Note: Under the “New-Car Info” icon on the home page, there are charts describing some basic specs for lower-priced 2022, 2023, and 2024 model-year EVs that you may find useful. (Model-year charts are listed in descending order.) For 2022, far more detailed information — including photos — is listed for 11 low-cost EVs.
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In order of appearance, below:
Overview
How to Look Up EPA Range Estimates
Finding a Used EV
A Note on Used EV Prices
Choosing a Used EV
Testing the Battery
Other Checks
NOTE: We cover Plug-in Hybrids under, “Plug-in Hybrids: the EV Alternative” icon on the home screen.
Overview
With no engine, transmission, or associated components to worry about, checking out a used Electric Vehicle is a little less tricky than checking out a gas one. While many other systems remain the same (we’ve included a checklist of some below under “Other Checks”) and there are a couple of additional considerations, the big question mark is the condition of the battery.
Sadly, the batteries used in most EVs degrade over time, which reduces the vehicle’s driving range. Furthermore, the batteries weren’t designed to be easily “fixed” or replaced, so the range you start with can’t be extended and will only get worse. Keeping in mind that many early EVs had less than a 100-mile range to start with means that some have by now been reduced to commuter cars and grocery-getters with a 50-mile range or less — which can drop significantly further in cold weather. And remember that’s total driving range, so that would mean 25 miles there, 25 miles back … in ideal weather … with no margin for error.
Thankfully, checking the general condition of the battery is fairly easy if you do a little advance planning. And we’ll get to that farther down under “Testing the Battery.” But first it’s perhaps best to get a feel for what’s available and at about what price.
How to Look Up EPA Range Estimates
If you want to look up the original range of an EV, you can go to Fueleconomy.gov, which lists the original EPA range estimate for any EV — and, incidentally, the EPA mpg estimate for any gas car. On the left side of the home page, scroll down to Find & Compare Cars (blue type), click on it, and enter your year range, make, and model, and hit Go.
Finding a Used EV
In early 2022, it was estimated that EVs made up only about one-half of 1% of the cars on the road. That has increased significantly over the following years, but it still means finding a used one for sale can be a bit of a challenge. Enter the internet.
While Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are popular — especially for cars sold by owners — many EVs were originally leased, which means they usually end up at dealers. One site we’ve used that claims to include listings from a variety of other sites — both by owners and by dealers — is Autotempest.com, though others include Cars.com and Autotrader.com.
At Autotempest.com, you can start by entering your zip code and distance limits. If you already know what model you’re looking for, you can enter the make and model into the search boxes. If you don’t know what you want — or just want to see what all is out there — you can scroll down and click on “Fuel Type,” then click on “Electric” (it seems this category also includes plug-in hybrids), then down to the yellow SEARCH button. When the list comes up, find the box that says “SORT BY,” and choose something — let’s say, Lowest Price. That will arrange the cars (after a few annoying pushes for other types of cars) from lowest to highest price. Note that a few non-electrics might slip through the filter, so keep that in mind. Also note that some sellers may not categorize an EV as “Electric,” so plugging the make and model you’re looking for into the initial search box may bring up more results.
A Note on Used-EV Prices
Prices on used EVs have long fluctuated with the price of gas. But the greater number of them on the road — and the fact that the early ones are now older — has resulted in dropping prices and far greater selection. A look through offerings on some of the used-car sites listed above should give you a good idea of price points. As of this update in early 2025, numerous examples are listed for less than $25,000 (the upper threshold to get a $4000 Tax Credit), and early Chevrolet Bolts — which were introduced for 2017 with 238 miles of range — could be found for $12,000 or less.
Up top we mentioned “a couple of additional considerations,” and this is where they come in.
Choosing a Used EV
Many early EVs were only sold in California and maybe a few other states. Others were sold in very small numbers, occasionally by non-major manufacturers.
We’d wouldn’t recommend buying a used EV that wasn’t originally sold in your state, because if it needs service, dealers in your area may not have the equipment or expertise to work on it. Ditto for low-volume EVs or those from off-brands. If you don’t recall ever seeing a listed EV in your area, it probably falls under one of those categories. You might find where an EV was originally sold by Googling, “In what states was the (make, model) sold?” You could also call a nearby dealer for that make and ask if they can service that manufacturer’s EVs.
Many early EVs didn’t come with a Level 3 DC Quick Charge port, though some offered it as an option. Granted, that might not seem necessary on a shorter-range EV, and Level 3 public chargers still aren’t common. But more are constantly being added, and it makes a huge difference in charging times. Keeping in mind that even a 10-year-old EV could still be on the road 20 years from now, this might be a worthwhile consideration.
Note that there are three types of Level 3 charge ports that have been commonly used. Mitsubishi and Nissan initially favored one called CHAdeMO, which might be hard to find at public charging stations. Numerous other brands carry the much more common CCS port, (as does the new Nissan Ariya), and some Teslas use one called NACS (North American Charging Standard). Tesla has recently opened its numerous Level 3 Supercharger stations to other brands, but those need a special adapter to allow using the Supercharger station. If there’s a public charging station you plan to use, it might be a good idea to check to see what style of ports it can accommodate.
The first widely available EV was the Nissan Leaf that debuted for 2011, as did the far less common Mitsubishi i-MiEV. Other early EVs included the Ford Focus Electric (very low volume, despite the big brand name), Chevrolet Spark EV (ditto), Smart ForTwo Electric Drive (very low volume — and tiny with just two seats), Fiat 500e (sold only in California and Oregon, though we’ve seen them offered here in Illinois), and Kia Soul EV. These all initially had ranges of roughly 100 miles or less when new (later Ford Focus Electrics managed 115 miles), and they’ll likely be down from that now.
Save for the various and expensive Tesla models, the first moderately priced “big name” EV with substantial range was the Chevrolet Bolt, which hit the market for the 2017 model year with an EPA range estimate of 238 miles — monumental at the time. A battery recall in 2021 means that many Bolts have a newer battery, which is a good thing, as batteries degrade over time, reducing range. Overall, the Bolt is probably one of the best choices in a used EV, partly because there are numerous examples available along with a strong dealer network to service them.
One note on the Bolt. The original base LT model didn’t come with as many high-tech safety features as many other cars of the day, though you could add the optional Driver Confidence I package to get blind-spot alert, rear-cross-traffic alert, and rear park assist. All those were standard on the top-line Premier, but to get the coveted forward collision warning and mitigation (now known as forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, and really the most important of them all), you had to get a Premier with the optional Driver Confidence II package, which also included lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, and automatic high beams. Optional on both trim levels was a Level 3 DC Fast-Charge port, a real advantage. Thus a Premier with the Driver Confidence II package and Level 3 charging is the early Bolt to have, though some of those features were expanded to other models on newer versions.
Sadly, there isn’t currently a wide selection of lower-priced new EVs. So with older ones coming down in price, going used can be a viable alternative.
Testing the Battery
Although a dealer or electric-vehicle service center might have equipment that does this more thoroughly, you can get a pretty good idea of a battery’s condition with a test drive.
Whether you’re buying from an individual or a dealer, insist that the car’s battery be fully charged when you arrive to drive it. Call before leaving home to verify. Don’t take, “Oh I forgot to charge it last night,” or “I just had to run some errands this morning” as an excuse. If you’re meeting at a public location, make it close to the seller’s house.
When you get in and turn it on, check the number of charge bars that are lit up. Many times, there are 12-16 in total, but you can count the total number just by looking — along with the number that are lit. If it has 16 bars and only 12 are lit, the battery has degraded by about 25 percent — as has the range.
Let’s look at an example of an early Nissan Leaf. The 2013 version had 12 bars in the battery gauge and an EPA range of 75 miles. That means each bar represented about 6.25 miles of range, but you don’t know where in that 6.25 miles you are. So that “25 percent” loss mentioned earlier — which in this case would mean 8 bars were lit — could be even more. At 25 percent loss, the range would be down to about 56 miles.
The backup for this — and another good check — would be to look at the amount of range remaining. This is a calculation the vehicle’s computer does based on the type of driving done over the past several miles, and is usually shown somewhere on the instrument panel. Note that if it’s winter and the owner didn’t use the heater when driving the previous several miles, the range will be higher than it would normally be for winter driving.
Other Checks
These are the same as for a gas car, but a couple are more — or less — likely to be a problem with an EV.
Two EV generalities: First, EVs typically aren’t driven as far per year as a gas car, mostly due to limited range. But most EVs also endure more city driving, which is tougher on a car.
In no particular order:
CV joints: These are on the front axles of a front-wheel-drive car, and will emit a “ticking” or “clicking” sound in tight corners if they’re going bad. Best to find an empty parking lot and drive in a tight figure 8 to check. You can also look at the CV boots (which cover the joints and look like wavy cones, usually black) by turning the wheels full in one direction and peeking at the inside of the wheel. You would need to get down and feel around them to find smaller tears that are out of easy view, but this might be tough to do.
Wheel bearings: If bad, they will moan or howl either all the time or — initially — when more weight is put on them, such as when rounding a corner. (A right-hand turn will load the left-side wheel bearings.)
Steering: Looseness or a rattle indicates wear. Since this wear is accelerated by city driving — which is what EVs are often used for — this may occur at relatively low mileage.
Shocks and struts: A knocking sound over bumps or bouncing after bumps indicates a need for replacement.
Brakes: These usually last a long time on EVs thanks to regenerative braking (if you’re unsure what this is, you can Google it or read our article under “Four Types of Electrified Vehicles”), but any squealing or pulling to one side under braking is a warning sign.
Running lights, brake lights, and turn signals: Checking running lights is easy; just turn them on, get out, and look at them. Ditto turn signals. Brake lights can be checked by backing up close to a wall.
Wipers and radio: Just turn ‘em on, but check all wiper speeds.
Heat and air-conditioning: Ditto above, but check all fan speeds.
Tires: Check tread depth and for uneven wear. If you run your hand along the tread and feel scallops, that’s an indication of worn shock/struts or steering components. Perhaps due to their comparatively heavy weight for their size — and the narrowness of their tires to reduce rolling resistance — tires on EVs tend to wear more quickly than those of similar gas-powered cars. If you have to replace the tires, note that some tires are specially made for EVs. But you also might want to consider buying run-flat tires or self-sealing tires to minimize the possibilities of flats, or all-weather tires (not to be confused with normal all-season tires, and they can also come as run-flats) for better winter traction.
Exhaust system: If you find one, it’s not an EV! (Unless you’re looking at a plug-in hybrid, which will have all the usual gas-engine parts — and many of their potential troubles.)
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