How to check a used electric car before you buy it
Short answer: the number that matters most is battery state of health, or SoH. A cheap OBD adapter and a free app read it, and you have the answer in ten minutes.
Average wear is 2.3 percent a year, so a five year old car should sit around 89 percent. Markedly less needs either an explanation or a lower price.
Start with the battery, not the odometer
On a petrol car mileage tells you almost everything. On an EV it does not. Two identical cars with identical mileage can hold very different batteries, depending on how they were charged and what climate they sat in. So the first question for the seller is battery health.
Battery health is usually written as state of health, or SoH. It is the percentage of the original capacity the pack still holds. 100 percent is a new car; 90 percent means a tenth of the capacity is gone and range has fallen in the same proportion.
How different chemistries wear over distance is covered in its own guide to battery degradation. This article is only about what to do before you hand over the money.
What number to expect at this age
In telematics company Geotab's 2026 study, covering 22,700 real vehicles, average wear came out at 2.3 percent a year. That gives a simple yardstick to hold a specific car against.
The yardstick is not a rule. A car kept in a cool climate and charged slowly will sit above it; an ex-taxi that lived on fast chargers will sit below. But if a three year old car reads 85 percent, that needs explaining.
There is a regulatory floor too. UN GTR No. 22, adopted in 2022 by the UNECE, requires new light vehicles to retain at least 80 percent of capacity at five years or 100,000 km, and 70 percent at eight years or 160,000 km. On the used market that is a useful marker for what counts as bad.
How to measure SoH on the spot
Most buyers skip this because they assume it needs a workshop. It does not. A cheap OBD adapter and an app on your phone are enough.
- Nissan Leaf. LeafSpy is the standard tool for this car and shows remaining capacity as a percentage directly.
- European and Korean models. Car Scanner and similar apps read SoH out of the battery management system on most models.
- Tesla. There is no percentage in the menus, so the practical route is comparing the range shown at a full charge against the factory figure, or using a specialised app.
One warning about the Leaf. Twelve bars on the dash does not mean a healthy battery: the first bar only disappears once 15 percent of capacity is gone, so a twelve bar car can be at 86 percent. Every bar after that is worth 6.25 percent. Only a diagnostic app gives you the real number.
The fast charging test almost nobody does
This single test checks two things at once and costs ten minutes. Bring the car to a DC fast charger at around 30 percent and start a charge.
- Whether the DC port works at all. The fast charging port and its contactors are separate parts and expensive to fix. A car that can only charge slowly looks perfectly normal on a test drive.
- What power it accepts. A warm pack at 30 percent should approach the car's rated peak. If it takes 30 kW from a 150 kW charger and the battery is not cold, that points at the pack or at the cooling system.
Where the nearest fast charger is, by city, is in the charger list.
The connector is a separate question in Georgia
Cars reach this market from three directions and arrive with three different inlets. Chinese imports often come with GB/T, European cars with CCS2, American ones with CCS1 or NACS. This is not a technical detail; it decides where you will be able to charge.
Both major standards are alive in Georgia, so a GB/T car is not a problem here. Across the border the picture changes: not a single public charger in Turkey has GB/T, so a car with that inlet alone cannot fast charge there. If you plan to drive abroad, know this before buying. The detail is in the Turkey guide and the connector guide.
Check the cables come with the car, too. A Type 2 cable and a portable charger cost real money to replace.
The car's history
- Where it came from. A large share of cars from American auctions carry damage history. What to check in that case is in the guide to American imports.
- Recalls by VIN. Several models have had serious battery related recalls. Checking the VIN is free, on the manufacturer's site or through NHTSA.
- Customs status. If the car has not been cleared, that bill is yours. Excise and import duty on an EV are zero, but the rest of the procedure remains. The figures are on the import duty page.
- Service history. Battery cooling work, the heat pump and software updates all show at a dealer. Ask for the records.
What you never check on a petrol car
- Brake discs. Regenerative braking means the friction brakes are rarely used and the discs corrode. Rust is a more common problem here than wear.
- The 12 volt battery. EVs have one too, and a flat one stops the car completely, however full the main pack is.
- Tyres. EVs are heavier and torquier, so tyres wear faster. Uneven wear points at the suspension.
- Heat pump. Where the model offers one, it makes a large difference to winter range. Confirm which version this car is.
- Noise at standstill. Cooling pump noise while charging or in hot weather is normal; a constant loud noise is not.
What it means for the price
Battery health translates straight into range. A 60 kWh pack at 90 percent holds 54 kWh; at 80 percent it holds 48, about 30 km less range per charge. If one of two identical cars reads 92 percent and the other 80, the price should say so.
What charging will cost you on your own tariff and battery is a job for the calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check the battery on a used EV?
With a cheap OBD adapter and an app that supports your model. On a Nissan Leaf that is LeafSpy; on most others Car Scanner or similar. The app shows battery state of health as a percentage. The second check is a fast charging test.
What state of health should a five year old EV have?
Around 89 percent, based on Geotab’s average of 2.3 percent a year. Below 85 percent needs an explanation, and below 80 percent it should be reflected in the price.
Do twelve bars on a Nissan Leaf mean a healthy battery?
No. The first bar only disappears once 15 percent of capacity is gone, so a twelve bar car can be at 86 percent. Only a diagnostic app gives you an accurate figure.
Why test fast charging before buying?
Because a faulty DC port does not show on a test drive and is expensive to repair. The test also shows what power the car accepts: far below the rated peak on a warm battery is a warning sign.
Does the connector matter when buying used?
In Georgia both GB/T and CCS2 are common, so it rarely bites at home. Abroad it does: no public charger in Turkey has GB/T, so a GB/T-only car cannot fast charge there.
What should I check on an EV imported from the United States?
Damage history, the connector type, which will be CCS1 or NACS, and whether the car has been cleared through customs. The guide to American imports covers the rest.
Sources
More guides
See also
Map and live status are in the app
This page shows which chargers exist and where. The map, exact locations, real-time availability and route planning live in the free app.