Buying a Second Hand EV. What to Look out for?

mmd on 29/03/2025 - 10:57

Hi all,
I'm thinking of buying a second hand EV from a dealer or FB marketplace.
If it's from FB, I'm well aware of https://www.ppsr.gov.au/ to make sure theres no finance owing.

However, what else should I look out for when inspecting an EV from a non-dealer?

Also, once the paperwork goes through and I've been given the car keys/card, would the owner need to "logout" of the car's comp screen?

I have bought ICE cars in the past and would check the body/tyres. I'm aiming to buy a byd/Tesla no earlier than 2023 and with less than 10k on the odometer.

Automotive Electric Vehicle

Comments

  • Euphemistic on 29/03/2025 - 11:22
    +3

    Check the battery health, and everyrhing else as if its an ICE.

    • dasher86 on 29/03/2025 - 12:26

      Check the check Engine light.

      • pegaxs on 29/03/2025 - 13:01
        +2

        I know you probably meant this in jest… But EV's still have a MIL/Check Engine Light and they still run on OBDII. So, this is not as silly as it sounds.

    • mmd on 30/03/2025 - 12:53

      Would you know how to check battery health?

  • vorsprung on 29/03/2025 - 11:26
    +1

    Tesla: I believe the seller should transfer you ownership of the car via their app. You can get Tesla to do this manually but it requires documentation and takes longer etc. at least this is my understanding.

    • Brick Tamland on 29/03/2025 - 13:02
      -3

      Imagine having to get permission from Tesla to sell your car

      • DashCam AKA Rolts on 29/03/2025 - 13:51

        Computer says, "No".

      • vorsprung on 29/03/2025 - 23:02
        +1

        I mean the app is a “feature”, it’s not essential to owning a Tesla. Shit on Tesla all you want but leave it to facts. Most car manufacturers don’t have an app.

        Tesla cars still come with two keys. You don’t have to use the app. If Tesla goes bust, your keys will still work. If you don’t transfer the car, the keys will still work.

        If you want the convenience of the app, then you should “transfer ownership” in the app.

        Nothing about getting permission from Tesla to sell your car.

        • changyang1230 on 29/03/2025 - 23:53
          +2

          Yeah it’s quite amusing to see people take cheap potshot at Tesla using silly non-logic.

          There ARE legitimate reasons why people might not consider a Tesla but the app ownership is not one of them.

        • Brick Tamland on 30/03/2025 - 08:47

          I am sick of having apps for everything. If there is an app for a car then I dont want that car.

  • oscargamer on 29/03/2025 - 12:35
    +3

    Service history
    Tyres
    Fluid levels (yes they usually have coolant tank/tanks as well as brake fluid)
    Mechanic check
    Ownership documents

    The usual, as for every car

  • tenpercent on 29/03/2025 - 12:39
    -3

    You can get some really nice brand new ones for cheap these days via AliExpress.
    E.g. this recent deal https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/899010 expired now but they come up often enough

  • chartparker on 29/03/2025 - 13:13

    Make sure the magic smoke is all still inside it

  • elgrande on 29/03/2025 - 13:18
    -8

    Check whether you really want a car that you will need to dispose of in five years

    • Euphemistic on 29/03/2025 - 13:31
      +4

      Are you trying to be funny ir do you actually believe this? Plain text doesnt have context.

  • Pikaloo on 29/03/2025 - 13:43

    Depreciation on an EV is rough. You might be better off leasing. Especially with the new tech coming out such as BYD's 5 minute charge hitting the market next month. More Chinese manufacturers entering the market such as Huawei, Xiaomi, etc.

    Battery technology has also improved on models now vs prior to 2023 etc. Which means that depending on what you buy can also determine how long your battery lasts for. Other factors such as temperature, speed of charge, whether the owner charged it up to 100% and went all the way down to 0%, etc. also has an affect on how long the battery will last for.

    • Euphemistic on 29/03/2025 - 23:56

      Op is looking at a 2-3yo car. Unless it got bulk kms on it or the battery is showing degradation, its likely to last a long time. The degradation will probably stabilise if OP does maintain good charge habits like keeping it between 20-80% and not using fast chargers all the time.

      Its just like most other used cars. Make an assessment of the condition and probably usage by the previous owner, then look after it once you purchase and itll likelyy last you a long time.

      • Pikaloo on 30/03/2025 - 02:04

        KMs only shows part of the story. What matters is the amount of cycles. You could have a 3 year old car that's done 30k km with 1,000 cycles vs a 100k km car with 300 cycles. The car with 1,000 cycles will have a worse battery capacity.

        And depending on how hot the batteries got during these cycles matters as well.

        • Euphemistic on 30/03/2025 - 10:08

          How do you get 1000 "cycles" in 30k km and only 300 in 3x as many kms? What is a "cycle"? If youve driven more, its been charged and discharged more, and more likely to have been fast charged more. If its been driven more, its likely to have had deeper discharges and more charging to 100%.

          Lower kms typically means less hard life. Ask the owner about driving habits. If its been driven frequently on long trips then fast charging is more likely. If it has only been driven around town and stored in a garage, then probably been slow charged.

          This is why i clarified my position suggesting you do the same checks you do on an ICE car to see if it has had a hard life, or an easy one. If you cant tell, maybe its time for a different vehicle.

          That said, concerns about battery life seem to be overhyped. Batteries are lasting a lot longer than expected and also suffering less degredation than expected. Degredation is being shown to plateau after the initial 10-15% drop in the first few years - ealry leaf asids.

          • Pikaloo on 30/03/2025 - 10:38

            @Euphemistic: A cycle is a charge + discharge. You can get 1,000 cycles by utilising V2G for example. Batteries are lasting longer - it depends on if they cheap out on the materials in the battery or not.

            A MG car won't use the same quality of battery materials as a BYD for example, although the chemistry is the same and the BYD's battery will degrade slower. It's the reason why a Lexus EV can offer a generous warranty compared to other brands.

            • Euphemistic on 30/03/2025 - 12:28

              @Pikaloo: A cycle of 80-60-80% charge is very different to a cycle of 90-10-90%. Rate of discharge and charge affects the battery very differently.

              • Pikaloo on 30/03/2025 - 15:26

                @Euphemistic: Yes, that's right. And also the materials used. For example a battery that uses natural graphite although has more battery capacity doesn't last as long as synthetic graphite. Batteries that are made with cathodes that aren't single crystal don't last longer either. Which is why the specific car you buy along with when it was manufactured matters a lot as the technology has changed so rapidly.

      • mmd on 30/03/2025 - 13:00

        @Pikaloo
        Yes that's why I'm looking for a 23/24 model with less than 10k on the clock.

        • Pikaloo on 30/03/2025 - 15:28

          Ks in the clock doesn't tell the full story. If the car is capable of V2G it means that although it can have 10k on the clock or even 1k, it could have done the amount of cycles of a car with 300k km.

          • Euphemistic on 30/03/2025 - 15:43

            @Pikaloo: V2G isnt a thing in Aust yet. Its beginning, but its far from common.

            • Pikaloo on 30/03/2025 - 18:38

              @Euphemistic: It isn't common, but BYD supports it on their new cars and people can utilise it today. Tesla not so much. Not only V2G but V2H and V2L. And V2L I think that's common on many brands for years now.

              • Euphemistic on 30/03/2025 - 19:37

                @Pikaloo: V2L is common, but in reality its low(ish) wattage. Like for a single power cord, not to power a house. Hardly going to strain a car battery.

                V2G has been in the news quite recently (like last 4-6weeks) as finally being approved for use in australia, so any used car is pretty unlikely to have been used for it.

  • outlander on 29/03/2025 - 14:35

    When I bought a prius, there was an app that you could use (required a bluetooth dongle) to read the individual cell voltages of the battery. Because when a battery goes bad, it usually is just one or two cells that go bad, but thats enough to drag the whole pack down. Often you can detect it ahead of time by looking at cells with a large difference.

    It's a $50 dongle and $10 for the app, but could save you thousands.

    You want to take it for a drive on the highway. Driving at a regular speed might be fine, but accelerating quickly might reveal weaknesses in the battery system.

  • Gdsamp on 29/03/2025 - 16:36

    Buy a Nissan LEAF

  • RecklessMonkeys on 30/03/2025 - 15:00
    -1

    I'm aiming to buy a byd/Tesla

    Regarding Tesla,

    Be aware of allegations of phantom breaking and false advertising.

    There's a class action. Tesla Motors Class Action | Australia

    Apparently Tesla has sued some owners for defamation when they claimed its malfunctions caused accidents.
    That's a red flag too IMO.

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