About £2,000 is the rock-bottom price for a used electric car. However, we’d think twice before reaching for your wallet. While some cars grow old gracefully, an ageing electric car could be an unwise investment.
The fact is, electric vehicles are developing at such a rate, even a car registered a decade ago may seem very outmoded – and less financially savvy than it first appears. To highlight this point, let’s consider the cheapest used electric cars you can buy.
Once upon a time, you were limited to just a handful of electric cars, three of which were simply rebadged versions of the same vehicle: the Peugeot Ion, Citroen C-Zero and Mitsubishi i-Miev. At the time of writing, several of these cars are advertised on Auto Trader priced from £2,000 or so.
Ludicrously expensive when new, these EV triplets were actually pretty decent to drive. They also offered seating for four and were well suited to city life. But, a total electric range of 80 miles feels woefully inadequate in 2026, when 300 miles+ is now the norm.
The other problem is the cost of a new battery pack. The Honest John website quotes a somewhat alarming figure of €22,610 (£19,391) plus tax. Given these cars were sold between 2011 and 2017, and EV batteries typically last around 10 years, that’s a potentially huge hit.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that batteries suffer from reduced range over time. This means you might struggle to achieve the distances quoted when the electric car was new. The problem may affect earlier Nissan Leafs, for example, although it is possible to replace faulty battery cells.
In fact, the Nissan Leaf would be our choice if you’re buying a used electric car on a tight budget. It blazed a trail for the industry, so there’s a wide selection of cars to choose from. At the time of writing there are around 1,100 for sale on Auto Trader, with prices from £2,500 to £17,000.
A range of 124 miles is a bit below par in the context of modern electric cars – the later, second-generation Leaf delivers up to 239 miles – but if you’re using the car for station runs and trips to the local shops, it should be fine.
The Leaf came with a five-year or 60,000-mile battery warranty, so take this into account when buying a used example. A new battery will cost around £5,000, but you’ll get some money back in exchange for the old one.
For a few dollars more
Be warned with earlier examples of the Leaf and Zoe, however, that prices are unlikely to include the monthly cost of battery leasing – an unusual ownership model for these specific cars that has now been discontinued. Some owners may also have bought the battery outright.
If you can splash a bit more cash, the choice opens up dramatically. Our friends at CarGurus recently identified 10 affordable used EVs priced between £6,000 and £9,000. They include the Vauxhall Corsa-e, Mini Cooper Electric and Volkswagen ID.3.
The original BMW i3 also falls into this category. A few of our motoring journalist colleagues run them and report being very satisfied. We reckon the i3 has future classic status, too.
On balance, though, we’d probably opt to lease a new electric car, rather than buy a used one.
With incentives such as the government’s Electric Car Grant factored in, you could find the monthly cost works out cheaper than the finance payments on a second-hand EV. Also, you won’t be left behind by rapid advances in battery technology.
At the end of your two- or three-year lease contract, you simply return the car and lease a new one. It will almost certainly offer a longer range and take less time to charge, and will come with the latest connectivity and safety systems.
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