Used Electric Vehicles are Finally Here

"MojoMotors.com" (MojoMotors) 02/17/2015 at 11:45 • Filed to: Electric Vehicles, used electric vehicles, evs, plugin hybrid, tesla, nissan leaf, green cars, used vehicles, mojo motors

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Tesla is facing the best kind of problem an automaker can have —they can't produce enough cars to meet the demand. That's especially impressive when you consider the Model S starts at over $70,000. Other manufacturers aren't quite as lucky as Tesla, but overall the market for EVs (Electric Vehicles) and PHEVs (Plug-In Hybrids) is growing at a steady clip. The world is getter greener, and we're not referring to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . These days, Nissan Leafs and charging stations are a normal sight in parking garages and driveways around the US. With 126,000 all-electric vehicles and 142,000 plug-in hybrids sold in the US between 2010 and 2014, a market for used electric vehicles has finally emerged.

At over 70,000 cars sold, the Nissan Leaf is leading the charge (no pun intended). The Leaf also stands out as the only EV to sell over 10,000 units in its first year of availability. Most EV models have only been available for a year or two, although a small batch of Toyota Rav4 EVs was rolled out in the early 2000's.

While depreciation hurts the original buyer, it helps those looking to buy used. More than 70,000 of the EVs sold are 2 years old or more, and many can be found for half the MSRP of a new model. We took a look at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to see what the options are for those looking to buy used EVs.

We expected to find dozens of Nissan Leafs for sale, but we weren't expecting the prices to be so low. For under $15,000, you can step into a Nissan Leaf with under 30,000 miles. A comparable Mitsubishi i-MIEV could be had for even less. The Nissan Leaf also faired well in our !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , making it an excellent value. Since Nissan guarantees the battery to last 8 years/100,000 miles, any Leaf for sale should still have many miles to travel before diminished range becomes an issue.

If you're seeking something more luxurious and unique than the Leaf, ze Germans have what you are looking for. BMW began selling the i3 just last year, but there's already several for sale on the used market. The BMW i3 has a range comparable to the Leaf, but has a more upscale feel and much more appealing interior, especially for those who respect wood. The exterior styling is admittedly love-it or hate-it, but it certainly has more flair than other EVs. With only 14 used i3s available on Mojo (and most of those in California) you better be prepared to travel to pick one up.

Here is something we weren't expecting to find at all —an original, 1st generation Toyota Rav4 EV. The EPA rated its driving range at an impressive 97 miles on a single charge, although that number has surely dwindled over the many years. Toyota produced 1,400 from 1997 to 2003 and its estimated that 500 are still on the road today. As of the publish date, this beauty is still available. You can see the listing !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

The second generation Rav4 EV was developed in collaboration with Tesla but unfortunately didn't inherit Tesla-level range, instead maxing out at 103 miles per charge. But it does have 154hp, which dwarfs the 64hp from the original Rav4 EV. It also comes with modern features, such as an infotainment system. The original Rav4 EV doesn't even have a way to tell the driver the remaining range, but its still impressive that some are still on the road. Don't get sucked in by this "vintage" Toyota, though. These days, there are much sexier options...

Remember the 1980's movie "Twins", where Arnold Schwarzenneger and Danny DeVito were brothers resulting from a genetic experiment? Well, think of the i3 as Danny and the i8 as Arnold. After you step in through the i8's swan-wing doors, you can do 0-60 in 3.8 seconds and forget entirely that you're in a plug-in hybrid.

The 357hp BMW i8 looks like a supercar from the future because that's exactly what it is. It doesn't compete with !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , it competes with Audi's R8, Porsche and other traditional supercars. The one shown here is the top-of-the-line Pure Impulse model that comes with exclusive features.

With plugins and hybrids projected to make up 7% of the global light vehicle market by 2020, we can expect steady growth in the used market. Even without the $7,500 federal tax credit (which only applies to new cars) you can still get a great deal on a used EV thanks to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! With improved battery technology and good factory warranties, diminished range becomes less of an issue. Therefore, if you're looking to save money while getting your Al Gore on, it'd be wise to shop used.

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dogisbadob > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 11:51

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That's because they don't CRUSH them like GM did with the EV1, selling the patents to Chevron, but at least they have finally expired. Why did we bail them out again?

DoYouEvenShift > dogisbadob 02/17/2015 at 12:01

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Thats why. I dont give a shit about the politics involved. I just want my Vettes, Camaros, and Cadillacs.

On topic. I cant wait to pick out a nice used P85D.

MojoMotors.com > dogisbadob 02/17/2015 at 12:07

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Good point about the EV1. For those who haven't seen it, "Who Killed The Electric Car?" is a great documentary. Check it out on IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt048903…

Otto Lipschitz > dogisbadob 02/17/2015 at 12:08

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Because of the human beings whose livelihood depends on the company.

MojoMotors.com > DoYouEvenShift 02/17/2015 at 12:10

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mmmmm P85D...

timgray > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 12:12

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Too bad the used prices are based on the MSRP and not what people actually paid. the $5000 back from the Govt should be rolled into the used prices. Every used leaf I spot is about $3000 overpriced for what it is, and none of them come with the charger so you have to add $1000 on top of the purchase price to get the charger for home purchased but not installed.

MojoMotors.com > timgray 02/17/2015 at 12:13

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Interesting about the lack of a charger, we didn't take that into account. Thanks Tim.

dogisbadob > DoYouEvenShift 02/17/2015 at 12:22

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If they put the same effort into the Sonic/Aveo and Cruze/Cobalt and didn't have to change the names every generation. GM made a two-mode Tahoe but no two-mode Malibu or Cobalt. And they didn't have to CRUSH the EV1's, did they? All they had to do was just sell them. GM just doesn't seem to have learned anything.

Travis M. Cotton > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 12:31

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That face the girl makes is begging for a GIF of its own. DO IT INTERNET!

DoYouEvenShift > dogisbadob 02/17/2015 at 12:39

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Dont care about the Cruze, Aveo, Sonic, Cobalt(except the SS). I understand that they need to sell to support the company however. The cars werent the problem really. It was shitty management. Look at Ford, they built shitty Focus's and they did just fine.

I agree with you on not crushing the EVs, that was a bonehead move.

stormer > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 12:51

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Except you don't "really" need a charger. I've had my leaf for over six months now and the wall works just fine...

KatzManDu > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 12:55

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Also note that Tesla is working hard to start and stimulate the 2nd-hand market for their cars and actively respond to owners' ads trying to get the cars back and put them into the "certified used" program they're developing.

MojoMotors.com > KatzManDu 02/17/2015 at 13:00

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Good point, 2014 saw the first CPO Tesla and we can expect a lot more of that this year.

Serious Gord > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 13:01

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Huge depreciation is a sign that EVs are Struggling - not succeeding in the market.

Serious Gord > dogisbadob 02/17/2015 at 13:02

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GM shouldn't have wasted shareholders money on the EV1 in the first place.

Serious Gord > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 13:03

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It's conspiratorial rubbish.

MojoMotors.com > Serious Gord 02/17/2015 at 13:11

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Depreciation is huge on all cars, not just EVs. We always recommend buying used over new.

http://www.mojomotors.com/review/buy-the…

Serious Gord > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 13:20

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50% in two years is far higher than comparable IC cars.

theRealRealMikeyG > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 13:28

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that's because people are stupid. they compare the MSRP of a brand new vehicle with the selling price of a used vehicle.

instead they should be comparing the selling price of the brand new vehicle and the selling price of the used vehicle.

the change is pretty dramatic and gets even more so as you go up in MSRP.

here, i have a widget that i set the MSRP at $6, but i routinely sell it for $4 and the used market is selling them at $3. Quick, what's the real world depreciation.

anyone with a brain learned long ago that the "new cars depreciate 25% when you drive them off the lot" myth is exactly that, a myth.

Hell, my 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 4x4 double cab still has a used private party sale price HIGHER than i paid for the vehicle brand new.

MojoMotors.com > Serious Gord 02/17/2015 at 13:28

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If you take a look at the article we linked, we argue that many IC cars do drop 50% in a few years. But regardless, electric vehicles aren't struggling. They are most definitely succeeding in the market.

jim > dogisbadob 02/17/2015 at 13:37

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They had to crush them. You cant just sell them because GM would then take on a ton of liabilities for a car they where no longer going to build, market or develop. If you sell a car in the US you have to support it for 10 years with parts etc that is something GM did not want to do and the reason they made it a lease program to begin with in case they decided to end the program.

Serious Gord > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 14:07

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then why are they siubsidized? If you need subsidies to be viabLe you aren't viable.

dogisbadob > jim 02/17/2015 at 14:09

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Toyota had no problems selling their Rav4 EV's from the same time, which are still on the road. Not to mention the S10 EV from the same time or just before. Some of those are still out there, but you know GM wants to crush those, too. NO EXCUSES

dogisbadob > DoYouEvenShift 02/17/2015 at 14:10

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The Focus wasn't terrible (except for the first-year models), but Ford was really stupid by not bringing over the Mk2 Focus.

MojoMotors.com > Serious Gord 02/17/2015 at 14:18

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Fossil fuels (used in IC cars) are also subsidized...

Will > Serious Gord 02/17/2015 at 14:19

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Don't forget to remove all oil and ICE car subsidies as well.

Serious Gord > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 14:21

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Micro scopic in comparison. And take them away and they are still viable. That is not the case with EVs

Serious Gord > Will 02/17/2015 at 14:22

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Micro scopic in comparison. And take them away and they are still viable. That is not the case with EVs

MojoMotors.com > Serious Gord 02/17/2015 at 14:26

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This Mojohnson would argue that more than $750 billion in annual global subsidies is not microscopic.

http://priceofoil.org/fossil-fuel-su…

Anyways, we appreciate your comments but we are going to side with Elon when it comes to the viability of the electric car market. That guy is wicked smart.

DoYouEvenShift > dogisbadob 02/17/2015 at 14:27

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Untill the current generation, they were bad. In my experience working at a full serivce shop for 10 years. They got better as they went along. But it wasnt till the current ones that I looked and drove one that I said. Ok this is good.

Serious Gord > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 14:35

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laughable analysis as I am sure you realize. But even using tgose ridiculous numbers oilcos pay far far more in taxes. Net bet they don't need subsidies.

Lots so subsidy whores like musk. Are smart. Don't be dummy by supporting him.

lenin1991 > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 15:06

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There's also the highly variable state tax credits available on new EVs — here in Colorado, up to $6,000!

MojoMotors.com > lenin1991 02/17/2015 at 15:12

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Not too shabby! You guys love all things green in Colorado, don't you? ;)

Mercedes Streeter > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 15:49

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Serious Gord shouldn't be taken serious.

Petrol subsidies drive down the cost of petrol by more than 50%. EV subsidies don't even come that close.

Gonemad > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 16:03

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I hope the used EV catches on. No burnt valves, no soot, no muffler, no gaskets, no petrol station, no spark plugs, no tainted fuel to melt your catalytic converter, no gas filter, no air filter, no lambda probe to malfunction... the list goes on.

Shall I add no burnt clutch from hooning? No transmission fluid to change?

Even when this thing is used and dead in the bottom of a garage for 50 years it won't make such a mess. There is a TV show "Chasing classic cars" where the guy is trying to restore cars found on sheds and barns; the damaged stuff belong to any of the aforementioned, every time.

Pvrkcr > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 16:31

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It's the mountains isn't it? Everyone says the damn mountains....

E. Julius > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 16:46

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They sell the B–class in the US?

RapCat > E. Julius 02/17/2015 at 17:52

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yes. Just started in late 2014.

E. Julius > RapCat 02/17/2015 at 17:56

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Cool!

VARocketry > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 18:51

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TESLA isn't a car MAKE offered on the MojoMotors search tool. So how'd you find them?

MojoMotors.com > VARocketry 02/17/2015 at 19:30

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We're currently adding it to the dropdown. Here's a link to the national search page. There are 20 used Teslas on the site right now.

http://www.mojomotors.com/used/Tesla-Mod…

Tiger Siamese > MojoMotors.com 02/17/2015 at 23:41

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These EVs have depreciated at a greater rate than traditional vehicles. Typical would be about 45% after three years, not 50% after two years. However...

I suspect that the reason is that the used market is taking into account the government subsidy at the original buyer got.

Trunk Impaired 318 > MojoMotors.com 02/18/2015 at 00:25

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Thats about 5000 more i3s than I would've thought were sold

dmk23 > timgray 02/18/2015 at 00:47

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One thing to note about the LEAF battery warranty: the 8-years, 100,000 warranty is only on the workmanship, not battery capacity. Battery capacity is only warrantied to 70% over a period of 60 months/60,000 miles. So, at the end of 5 years, Nissan will only guarantee that the battery will provide a range of about 60 miles (84 miles * 0.70).

I bought my LEAF new in December, and the price difference between new and used is not that much once you factor in the Federal ($7500), state (here in CA = $2500), Nissan NMAC ($3500), and dealer incentives ($3000, plus they had a December deal where the gave me a free L2 240V charging station). $38,000 car was <$25,000 out the door (including tax, title, etc) with a free charger. And they are offering 2-years of free public charging and a 0% loan up to 6 years. Buying used did not seem to make sense at all

Anthonyelectric > dogisbadob 02/18/2015 at 00:58

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/3712615119…

Anthonyelectric > E. Julius 02/18/2015 at 00:59

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/3712615119…

My 2000 Ford Ranger EV NiMH, RARE!

webmonkees > MojoMotors.com 02/18/2015 at 01:20

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The battery packs are going to be the make/break for these things for years until either there's enough numbers of them or they start standardizing packs across platforms, even makes.

Right now it's like a bunch of specific printer cartridges and priced accordingly.

MojoMotors.com > Tiger Siamese 02/18/2015 at 09:16

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I think you are right about the used prices taking the subsidy into account.

boxrocket > timgray 02/18/2015 at 09:16

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There's currently 265 Leafs (Leaves?) at CarMax, most for for under $15k, and apparently they all include the 110v wall outlet charger, which is good for overnight charging, and allegedly the trickle charger is better for battery longevity anyway.

MojoMotors.com > Trunk Impaired 318 02/18/2015 at 09:17

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Seriously, but apparently they are selling. Have you ever seen one in the wild?

MojoMotors.com > webmonkees 02/18/2015 at 09:18

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Well, Tesla says they will be pumping out enough batteries for 500,000 cars by 2020. Perhaps that will help with standardization and cost reduction.

steel36 > MojoMotors.com 02/18/2015 at 09:53

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It's not decreased range i'm concerned about, it's that original range was never high enough for my commute. The next gen Leaf is supposed to go ~175 miles. that, i'm interested in.

Trunk Impaired 318 > MojoMotors.com 02/18/2015 at 09:56

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Ive seen one or two

MojoMotors.com > steel36 02/18/2015 at 10:07

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Nice, the Chevy Volt and Model X (also coming soon) will give you the range you need as well. Does your workplace have charging stations in the parking lot? Probably not unless you work at a school or government building. But that would help too.

MojoMotors.com > Trunk Impaired 318 02/18/2015 at 10:08

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The only one we've seen was at the NY International Auto Show last Spring.

Trunk Impaired 318 > MojoMotors.com 02/18/2015 at 10:22

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Ive seen one in Philadelphia and one at Watkins Glen

MojoMotors.com > Trunk Impaired 318 02/18/2015 at 10:30

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You'd think we would have seen a few since our office is in midtown Manhattan. But nah.

dogisbadob > Anthonyelectric 02/18/2015 at 10:55

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WOW that's a GREAT price!!!!! They usually go for about 30k! I'm submitting this for NPOCP

timgray > boxrocket 02/18/2015 at 11:17

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Unless I am after a toy to impress my neighbors, I am not interested in a car that takes 20 hours to charge from the emergency trickle charger. You have to buy a $1000 charger and then pay a few hundred or more to have it installed by an electrician to actually use these as a daily driver.

and all those carmax cars are still $3000 overpriced.

Destructive Tester > MojoMotors.com 02/18/2015 at 12:23

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Who says fast cars don't turn women on? Her face begs to differ...

BigBlock440 > dogisbadob 02/18/2015 at 12:28

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Toyota also sold thousands of other RAV4s that they needed to support, so they only needed a few more spare parts that were EV specific to keep on hand. GM didn't have thousands of gas powered EV1s to support, so it's not a good example.

webmonkees > MojoMotors.com 02/18/2015 at 12:40

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Just a matter of time and economics. The market will want speed, and looks like the ratios are pretty good for the future. Just gotta liberate the systems so they fit my Volkswagen.

MojoMotors.com > webmonkees 02/18/2015 at 12:51

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Lucky for you, VW has already bought a stake in a battery company.

http://www.vwvortex.com/news/volkswage…

dogisbadob > BigBlock440 02/18/2015 at 13:32

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You know GM wants those S10 EV's to be crushed.

SeattleDave > dogisbadob 02/18/2015 at 18:02

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You might want to update your "Portlandia" narrative. https://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motorami…

SeattleDave > MojoMotors.com 02/18/2015 at 18:03

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you might want check this out too. We cant keep our cell phones charged all day and its TWENTY YEARS after that stupid propaganda movie came out. https://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motorami…

dogisbadob > SeattleDave 02/18/2015 at 19:37

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Nope, not the same thing.

Those BMW's were pre-production models. The EV1's were actual production cars.

jiripavelec > DoYouEvenShift 02/21/2015 at 16:46

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like every guy from 1940 :)

p85d is a love for life, will never be sold :)

deekster_caddy > MojoMotors.com 03/10/2015 at 11:18

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I watched that documentary and they never asked or answered the point that GM wanted these vehicles back to evaluate them. What's the wear and tear on the drivetrains? What's the wear and tear on the batteries? These were leased vehicles with it made very clear up front that there was no option to buy. None of them were sold to the public. The EV-1 was the research vehicle that resulted in the real world usable and very purchasable Chevy Volt!

Yes they found them all in a big stack about to be crushed. With the drivetrains removed they were just empty shells. You don't think you can crush those massive batteries do you?