The good news for those in the market for an older EV is that, for the most part, batteries are reliable and long-lasting, according to a March study by Seattle-based battery analysis company Recurrent Motors Inc.

The majority of EVs that have been driven more than 160,000 kilometres in Recurrent’s study still have at least 90 per cent of their original range left. That said, the study’s author, Liz Najman, researcher and marketing manager at Recurrent, cautioned that individual vehicles do vary and that Recurrent’s data are always evolving…

The study, published last month, gathered real-world data from 15,000 EVs of various makes and models on the road in the United States…

Unfortunately, how an EV’s battery will hold up over time is largely an unknown, simply because most EVs aren’t that old. Almost 30 per cent of EVs on the road today in the United States were sold in 2022, and the majority are less than six years old, according to Recurrent.