EV batteries don’t last! That’s the knock, but how true is it?

Real-world Australian data on the battery performance of second-hand electric vehicles has revealed that they are lasting longer and are more reliable than first thought.

Pickles, an auction house trading thousands of vehicles annually across Australia, surveyed 250 used electric vehicles in its stock and found an average of 90.1 percent battery retention in EVs that have travelled 120,000km.

This means that an EV battery on average in Australia would retain 90.1 percent of its range after almost a decade of driving, and that second-hand buyers don’t necessarily need to replace the battery pack, thus potentially removing a perceived obstacle to buying a used electric vehicle.

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Brendon Green, Pickles General Manager, Automotive Solutions, said the results are in line with manufacturer expectations, but they are well ahead of the minimums outlined in warranties.

“We’re giving buyers the confidence they need to embrace electrification without hesitation,” he said. “This underlines that Pickles is selling used EVs with very healthy batteries, as early data suggests battery health is in line with manufacturer expectations.”

According to Pickles, Hyundai EVs showed an impressive 99.3 per cent battery health, which exceeded BYD’s 98.62 per cent result. Both were above Tesla’s 93.3 percent score.

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To better prepare for future EV sales growth, Pickles is developing an EV battery health assure process, allowing used EVs it sells to be backed by battery performance results that buyers can trust.

The announcement of the assurance program comes as a record year for used EV sales at Pickles, which surged by 190 per cent in 2024, with 334 sold and 120 sold in the fourth quarter alone.

On the new car market, a record 91,292 EVs were sold in Australia in 2024, which is an increase of 4.7 percent on 2023.