Battery health check key to EV purchase
More than half of potential buyers would not consider a used electric car without an independent battery health check.
The August Startline Used Car Tracker found that 57% of prospective buyers surveyed said a battery health check would be key to purchase, with 77% worried about potential battery failure and 76% about the cost of battery repair or replacement.
However, the research also found that 31% would buy a used electric car without a check if it had a significant portion of its original manufacturer battery warranty remaining, while 13% would be consider it if they felt the price of the car was low enough to offset the potential risk.
Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “With more than two million EVs now on UK roads, it’s becoming clear that early fears over battery failure have been hugely overblown. In fact, it is proving to be a fairly rare occurrence.
“Despite this, it is a possibility still clearly playing on the minds of potential electric car buyers and professional battery health checks, which are being offered by a range of companies, could play an important role in creating a sense of security.
“Our research shows that for a significant proportion of motorists, a check would be a key element in choosing to go electric, providing a high degree of reassurance about the possibility of battery failure.”
