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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Electric cars do not all have terrible resale value. In iSeeCars’ US data for Q1 2026, average prices for one- to five-year-old non-Tesla EVs fell 10.3% year over year, while Tesla EV prices fell 0.1%. Those are changes in average used-market prices—not a promise of what any particular owner will get. Model, vehicle age, location, and the measure being compared all matter.
Do electric cars lose value faster than gas cars?
Not in every comparison. In the Q1 2026 iSeeCars study of one- to five-year-old used vehicles in the United States, average prices fell 3.0% year over year for all EVs, 2.8% for gas cars, and 1.4% for hybrids. The averages conceal a large split within EVs: non-Tesla EV prices declined 10.3%, compared with 0.1% for Tesla EVs. These figures describe average market prices in that study’s sample, not each vehicle’s depreciation or an owner’s eventual sale proceeds. iSeeCars’ Q1 2026 comparison quotes executive analyst Karl Brauer saying, “Used electric vehicles without a Tesla badge have lost more than 10% of their value in the past year.” His statement refers to that study’s US comparison, not every EV market.
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What does “resale value” mean?
Several different measures are often treated as if they were interchangeable. A year-over-year change in average used prices tracks market movement across a sample. A retention percentage compares a used vehicle’s value with its original price. Neither is necessarily the same as a private-party offer, dealer trade-in, or the amount an individual seller receives.
- Average price change: the change over a stated period in the used-market prices covered by a study, as in the iSeeCars Q1 2026 figures.
- Value retention: the share of a new vehicle’s price retained after a specified period. iSeeCars’ 2026 EV ranking reports average five-year retention of 38.8% across the EVs in its analysis. Its method compares new MSRP with the price of an equivalent five-year-old used car, and the study says it analyzed more than three million vehicles. This is a dataset-specific estimate, not a universal rule for EVs. See the iSeeCars EV ranking and methodology.
- Individual sale or trade value: an offer for a particular car, which depends on its model, age, condition, mileage, location, and the valuation method used.
Because these measures use different samples, ages, geographies, dates, and definitions, they should not be ranked against one another as though they were a single, like-for-like result.
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Why can used EV values be weak or uneven?
Buyers may not know the battery’s condition
Battery degradation can vary with climate, driving behavior, and charging habits, according to Cox Automotive. If a listing does not show battery condition or usable range, a buyer may find it hard to judge whether one used EV has more range remaining than another. That uncertainty can affect how attractive a particular car appears; it does not establish how much battery condition contributes to a vehicle’s price decline.
In January 2025, Cox said VIN-level battery-health information was available on more than 19,000 Autotrader used-EV listings. That was the listing count at the time of its announcement, not a current total. Cox’s announcement explains the battery-health scores.
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Warranty and repair concerns can shape buyer confidence
The International Energy Agency notes that concerns about battery health and the potential cost of major repairs can make an older EV less appealing. Kelley Blue Book advises used-EV shoppers to check battery health and confirm remaining warranty coverage. Those are practical considerations when assessing an individual car, not proof that battery replacement is inevitable or that repair concerns explain a specific share of EV depreciation. Kelley Blue Book’s used-EV checklist covers those checks.
One EV’s result does not describe the whole segment
iSeeCars’ model-level ranking shows why a segment average can hide substantial differences among vehicles. Its 38.8% five-year retention figure is the average within that analysis, not a forecast for every make and model. A headline about “EV resale value” can therefore say little about the likely value of a particular model without specifying its age and the comparison method.
Location and timing change the picture
US prices do not automatically predict resale performance elsewhere. The IEA’s comparison of major regions reports that in China in 2024, electric cars retained about 46% of their value after three years, versus around 55% for the broader used-car market. Its chart uses the last month of each year, notes that monthly sales-weighted averages are unavailable for all markets, and marks US 2025 data as estimates. The China figures are a regional, three-year retention comparison; they are not directly comparable with iSeeCars’ US price changes or its five-year EV average. Read the IEA regional chart and its notes.
How to compare the resale value of two used EVs
For a useful comparison, keep the vehicles and valuation method as similar as possible. Current local comparables are more relevant to a specific sale than a broad national average.
- Match the basics: compare the same model year and trim, a similar mileage band, the same region, and prices observed on the same date.
- Use one kind of value: compare asking prices with asking prices, or trade-in estimates with trade-in estimates. Do not assume a listing price is what a seller will receive.
- Check range and battery evidence: look for available battery-health information and usable-range details, and compare them across the vehicles. Cox’s VIN-level listing information is one example of the kind of evidence that may be available.
- Confirm warranty coverage: check what coverage remains for the specific vehicle rather than assuming a warranty transfers or lasts for a particular period.
- Account for condition and equipment: mileage alone does not capture a vehicle’s condition or configuration, both of which matter when comparing individual cars.
These checks help assess the cars in front of you; they cannot guarantee a future resale price.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteIs there one proven cause of EV depreciation?
No single cause or quantified breakdown is established by the cited evidence. Battery uncertainty, warranty coverage, and perceived repair risk are relevant considerations for used-EV buyers, while published price and retention figures show that outcomes vary by model, market, and measurement. The available figures do not assign a causal percentage to battery condition, incentives, new-car price changes, technology shifts, or other possible influences.
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