Is A Used EV Right For You?
By Dan @ Electrify Motors
Used EVs currently represent exceptional value: low running costs, high reliability, and a driving experience that feels indistinguishable from new. But to make the most of these advantages, it's essential your home setup, typical mileage and expectations align with how EVs actually behave.
This guide gives you a structured way to assess whether a used EV genuinely suits your life. We try to avoid hype and focus on the practical realities that determine satisfaction, cost and convenience.
⚡ Home Charging Tariffs and Real Cost per Mile
Smart EV tariffs such as Intelligent Octopus Go currently offer off-peak rates close to 7 p/kWh. A mid-sized EV returning 3.0–4.0 miles per kWh costs just 2–4 p per mile — dramatically cheaper than the ~15–20 p per mile of most petrol cars.
But this advantage depends entirely on where you charge. Public rapid charging sits around 75 p/kWh, with motorway ultra-rapids are almost always higher (Tesla's venerable Supercharger network being a distinct outlier at 30-40p, even on the motorway). A driver who relies significantly on public charging can see EV running costs converge with — or exceed — an efficient petrol or hybrid.
❄️ Winter Behaviour
In UK winters, expect 15–20% less range, slower charging (where automated preconditioning before charging becomes especially useful), reduced regen and higher cabin-heating demand. The pattern is consistent across all EVs. If you're one of a smalll cohort of true high-mileage daily drivers (150-200mi+) and already push your range limit in the summer, bear in mind your experience in the winter will call for a change in charging discipline.
🔋 Battery Degradation
Most modern EVs lose 1.5–3% capacity annually, slowing after the first two years. A 4-year-old EV with 85–90% usable capacity is typical.
With that said, liquid-cooled EVs (nearly all modern models) age very gracefully, and the era of “range-loss anxiety” associated with early pioneers, such as the Gen 1 Nissan Leaf, has passed. Today’s used EVs routinely continue well past 150k–200k miles in taxi fleets with minimal degradation.
Battery warranties (usually 8 years / 100k–150k miles) remain a safety net, but real-world data shows the vast majority of cars won’t get close to triggering a warranty claim. Given normal use is so rarely the culprit for a big drop in usable capacty, we rarely hear of a claim denied in the event you're one of the vanishingly few owners who have to call upon the manufacturer to honour the warranty. It's nearly always tracevable to a genuine manufacturing defect and replaced without quibble.
🛣 The 2028 Pay-Per-Mile EV Tax
From April 2028, EVs will pay 3 p per mile; PHEVs 1.5 p per mile. For a typical 10,000-mile driver, that’s £300 annually. While this is an added annoyance, it pales in comparison to fuel duty. It narrows, but doesn’t eliminate the cost advantage, provided you charge cheaply at home or work.
🔧 Maintenance
EVs have drastically fewer moving parts than their internal combustion counterparts, but they are inevitably heavier. Expect:
- Faster tyre wear
- More strain on suspension components on rough rural roads
- Brake systems last longer (regen) but benefit from periodic cleaning
Overall maintenance costs are still lower than ICE, but perhaps not to the degree sometimes claimed.
The 12-Point Check
Each question below now expands into practical, UK-specific guidance. If more than three of these raise concerns, a used EV may offer less benefit — or more friction — than you expect.
1. Do you have home charging — and can you actually install a charger?
Reliable off-street parking with access to your own wallbox is the single biggest factor determining whether a used EV works well for you. A 7kW home charger adds ~25 miles of range per hour and typically delivers a full charge overnight. Without this convenience, EV ownership becomes more like managing a smartphone with a dying battery — workable, but requiring ongoing attention. It's perfetly
Installation feasibility often surprises people. If your consumer unit is far from the driveway, or if you need a long cable run, installation can cost more than the headline figure. Trenching adds extra cost and disruption. Load-balancing devices may be required if your house has electric heating, or an older 60A main fuse. But once installed, a home charger turns EV ownership into a “plug in, forget about it” routine that petrol or diesel cannot match. Newer developments may have a charger installed already, and especially paired with home solar and domestic battery storage, when you have a match made in heaven. Many newer EVs also feature V2L/V2H capability, where the car serves as the home battery system when paired with a compatible charger, although this is still something of a rarity in the UK.
Even so, many EV drivers get by perfectly well simply using a three-pin "granny charger", delivering 6-8 miles per hour, which is more than ample for the average driver's daytime requirements on an overnight charging period. Note that most manufacturers don't recommend this as a long-term solution given the strain that pulling a consistent 10A+ puts on domestic plug sockets, which are only rated to supply this kind of current in short bursts. We'd highly recommend getting an electrician to check your wiring is up to the task and to fit a British Standard BS 1363/EV socket on your outlet of choice. If you need a long cable run, standard extension cables are a definite no-no in this scenario. We've linked to a reliable supplier based in Somerset, not far from Electrify Motors HQ in Wiltshire, who produce robust outdoor extension cables with EV charging in mind.
Useful resources:
Energy Saving Trust EV home charging advice
2. Will you be on a cheap EV tariff?
Even with home charging, your electricity tariff determines your actual cost per mile. Smart tariffs such as Intelligent Octopus Go (~7 p/kWh) or OVO Charge Anytime effectively allow you to run most EVs for £200–£300 per year in electricity if you drive about 8,000 miles.
If you’re on a flat ~30 p/kWh rate because your supplier doesn’t support smart scheduling, or your meter is incompatible, running costs jump significantly. That’s still cheaper than petrol, but not always enough to offset the compromises EVs introduce for some usage patterns.
Useful resources:
3. What is your annual mileage — and how predictable is it?
EVs excel in predictable, repeatable daily driving. Commuting, school runs, supermarket trips and routine 10–40-mile journeys are where EVs are most convenient and cheap. Once you've experienced stop-start traffic in a serene automatic EV you'll wonder why you ever balanced a clutch!
But unpredictability matters. If your life includes regular last-minute 150–200-mile drives, or weekly motorway trips where the destination varies significantly, that unpredictability imposes more planning overhead than an ICE car — even with today’s charging networks.
A 3–5-year-old EV typically has a real-world motorway range of 170–230 miles depending on model. You should treat 70–80% of that as your comfortable usable buffer, especially in winter.
For real range data:
4. How often will you realistically depend on public rapid charging?
Public charging in 2025 is no longer the headache it was five or ten years ago. Ultra-rapid hubs (150–350kW) have proliferated across motorways and many A-roads, and Tesla has opened much of its Supercharger network to all major brands. Charger reliability is also much better and resources like Zap Map allow you to scope out dysfunctional chargers before you set off. Most new chargers accept contactless payment, so the days of downloading a clutch of different charging apps are thankfully (largely) behind us.
For cars in our typical stock profile, peak charging speed generally rounds out to:
- Tesla Model 3/Y → 150–250kW
- Polestar 2 → 120–155kW
- Jaguar I-Pace → ~100kW
- Kia EV6 → 230kW+
- MINI Electric → slow charging but ultra-efficient, great for city drivers
Most of these cars can go from 10–80% in 20–30 minutes when the battery is preconditioned (warmed up in advance, in plain English) and the charger is delivering full capability.
The real question isn’t whether public charging works — it does. It’s whether you want to rely on it routinely. Occasional use is fine. Weekly dependence can feel like a grind. Predictable bottlenecks to be aware of are popular routes on busy days – think Cornwall in the summer. But more locations come online every year and are driven by demand, so expect these bottlenecks to ease over time.
Useful resource:
Electroverse £10 referral code
5. Are you comfortable planning charging on long trips?
Modern EV navigation (Tesla, Polestar, Hyundai/Kia) automatically inserts charging stops and preconditions the battery on approach. This takes most of the friction out of long-distance travel, and with high-power chargers now ubiquitous on motorways, it’s often seamless.
But long EV trips still differ from ICE:
- You stop earlier and more frequently e.g. 120–150 miles instead of 300–400. Even at the lower range this is still several hours driving and we're partial to a service station coffee by that stage!
- You benefit from arriving lower on battery for fast charging
- You adjust for weather, speed, elevation and load
For many owners, this planning becomes second nature. For others, especially those who value spontaneity or must respond to variable working patterns, it feels restrictive. The question is personal preference, not technological limitation.
6. Is lowest cost per mile your priority — or convenience?
EVs can deliver extraordinarily low fuel cost only if your charging mix favours home charging. If convenience is your priority and you want to “charge anywhere, whenever,” the costs begin to resemble petrol — sometimes exceeding it. Conversely, if you enjoy optimising for cost (timed charging windows, route planning, pre-heating the battery), EVs reward that behaviour handsomely. Many households reduce annual energy cost to well under £300, which ICE cars cannot begin to approach.
7. How long do you typically keep a car — and do you understand EV longevity economics?
Here the EV story is more positive than many buyers expect. Modern EVs age far better than combustion cars:
- High-mileage Tesla Model routinely exceed 200k–300k miles with minimal degradation
- Hyundai/Kia e-GMP cars maintain strong charging performance well past 150k miles
- Air-cooled designs of the early 2010s have little relevance to 2020-era thermally-managed EVs
A used 3–5-year-old EV is often at its “degradation plateau,” meaning the steep early drop is behind it, and annual losses slow.
Financially, used EVs avoid the large depreciation hidden in PCP deals. PCP monthly payments typically cover depreciation plus interest; buyers effectively "rent" the steepest part of the curve for the privilege of newness. A used EV that “feels like new” — which most do — often represents better long-term value than a brand-new PCP EV.
8. Are you prepared for heavier wear on tyres and suspension?
EVs often weigh 200–400kg more than equivalent petrol cars. On well-maintained roads, this makes little difference. But you'd need a long memory to recall UK roads in good condition! Especially on rural routes with potholes, sharp cambers and rough surfaces, you’ll see:
- Faster tyre wear than a lighter equivalent
- More frequent suspension component replacements (drop links, bushes, top mounts)
- Occasional brake servicing to prevent corrosiondue to regen
On that final point: many manufacturers recommend "burnishing" your EV brakes by disabling regen and braking a few times from speed on a clear road when safe to do so. This helps minimise the risk of pitting from long-term corrosion, which is common to all cars with little-used brakes.
Budgeting an extra £150–£250 per year for rural driving is sensible. In towns and suburbs, running costs are realistically rock bottom.
9. Will winter range loss cause you stress?
All EVs lose range in winter. Heat pumps help, but don’t eliminate the effect. Expect 15–20% less range on dark, cold, wet days, and slower rapid-charging speeds until the battery warms if your vehicle doesn't have preconditioning capability.
If your normal driving includes 100+mile winter round trips without chargers en route, or you live in an especially hilly region, perhaps consider an EV with comfortably more motorway range than you strictly need on paper.
For accurate winter range estimates, lean heavily on real-world tests from:
10. Are you comfortable with digital-first interfaces and apps?
Used EVs are among the most software-defined vehicles on the road. Expect to interact with:
- A smartphone app (charging, locking, heating)
- Charging-network apps
- Smart-meter integrations
- Over-the-air (OTA) updates
Most owners adapt quickly, but some find the digital overhead frustrating. If you prefer analogue controls, EV ownership may feel like too much admin. However, once set up, the ecosystem works well: Tesla’s app is market-leading; Polestar improves annually; Kia/Hyundai’s BlueLink is now reliable. Modern used EVs do not feel “dated” in software — another reason they age well.
11. Are you prepared for the 2028 mileage-based tax?
The EV-specific 3 p/mile tax is modest but real. After 2028, your true running cost becomes:
Electricity (home tariff) + 3p/mile tax + maintenance
For a typical 10,000-mile driver on a smart tariff, that means:
- £250–£350 electricity
- £300 mileage tax
- £150–£250 maintenance uplift (tyres/suspension)
Total: £700–£900 per year, still materially below ICE for most households. Just ensure you’re building tax changes into your long-term assumptions.
12. Will you base your decision on real-world data, not WLTP?
This is the deciding factor for many buyers. WLTP figures are often 20–35% above what a used EV achieves on a British motorway in winter.
You should prioritise:
- Real efficiency (Wh/mile or mi/kWh)
- Charging curve (how fast it charges 10–80%)
- Battery chemistry (NCM/NCA vs LFP)
- Independent battery-health reports
- Model-specific quirks (e.g., I-Pace coolant lines, Polestar heat pump behaviour)
For this, rely on:
Buyers who use real-world numbers are almost always satisfied; buyers who trust WLTP alone often are not.
Worked Examples: Three Typical UK Buyer Profiles
These are simplified but realistic scenarios based on today’s tariffs, average EV efficiency and projected 2028 taxation.
1. Urban commuter with driveway (8,000 mi/yr)
Charging 90% off-peak, low public-charging use.
- Electricity: £240–£300
- Mileage tax (from 2028): £240
- Total: £480–£540
Verdict: Ideal match. Low cost, extremely convenient, minimal friction.
2. Suburban two-car household (10,000 mi/yr, mixed driving)
Home charger, occasional ultra-rapid use.
- Electricity: £350–£500
- Mileage tax: £300
- Public charging uplift: £100–£150
- Total: £750–£950
Verdict: Strong match. Home charging absorbs most costs; occasional long trips are fine.
3. Rural single-car household (12,000 mi/yr, long variable routes)
Home charger but frequent rapid charging.
- Electricity mix: £800–£1,200
- Mileage tax: £360
- Additional tyre/suspension wear: £200–£300
- Total: £1,600–£1,900+
Verdict: Borderline. Convenience compromises may outweigh cost benefits; hybrid or diesel may still be more appropriate depending on lifestyle.
When a Used EV Is a Strong Fit — and When It Isn’t
Strong fit
- You have off-street parking and a smart tariff.
- Your driving is mostly predictable and under ~12,000 miles/year.
- You’re comfortable with modest planning on long trips.
- You prioritise cost stability and long-term durability.
- You recognise that modern EVs age extremely well and deliver excellent value used.
Less suited
- You lack reliable home or workplace charging.
- You frequently drive long, unpredictable rural/motorway routes.
- You prefer spontaneity and analogue simplicity.
- You change cars every 1–2 years and lose the value advantage of buying used.
Final Guidance
This assessment isn’t trying to “sell” you an EV — it’s designed to help you determine whether a used EV matches the structure of your life. The happiest owners are those whose home setup, driving habits and expectations align naturally with how EVs perform in the UK. The least satisfied tend to buy the idea of EVs without considering practical realities like charging mix, winter range or tariff access.
