The Best Used EVs to Buy Right Now

Published August 28, 2026

EVs have depreciated more than any other vehicle type over their first five years, with average value losses close to 60%. That’s a real problem if you’re the original owner, and a real opportunity if you’re shopping used. Here’s where the value actually lands right now.

Chevrolet Bolt EV/EUV: the value pick

The Bolt is the clearest case of steep depreciation working in a buyer’s favor. 2020-2023 models often list in the mid-teens to low-$20k range despite original MSRPs around $30,000 to $35,000, and 2022-and-newer models depreciate about 38% off their original sticker. There’s a specific reason the battery risk here is lower than it looks: every 2022-plus Bolt got a new battery pack under a manufacturer recall, effectively resetting the battery-health clock regardless of the car’s age or mileage.

Tesla Model 3 / Model Y: the safe choice

A 2021-2023 Model 3 or Model Y remains a strong default pick for most households shopping used. Tesla’s resale value has held up better than most of the category thanks to brand loyalty, over-the-air software updates that keep older cars current, and Supercharger network access that doesn’t depend on adapters. It’s not the deepest discount on this list, but it’s the lowest-risk one.

Hyundai Ioniq 5: the tech-per-dollar play

Early Ioniq 5 models now cost meaningfully less than when new, which means a second owner gets the benefit of the original owner’s depreciation hit: more range and faster charging for a budget similar to a new entry-level EV. If fast-charging speed matters to you, this is worth cross-shopping against a new budget EV rather than assuming new is the safer default.

Luxury EVs: the steepest dollar-value drops

Luxury EVs see the steepest depreciation in dollar terms, which makes them look like extraordinary deals on paper: a Mercedes EQS or Lucid Air originally priced at $90,000 to $105,000 can now be found for under $45,000. The catch is the same one that applies to any used luxury car: higher insurance, pricier parts, and more expensive service, so the sticker discount doesn’t fully translate into a proportional discount on total ownership cost.

The general rule of thumb

Buying an EV that’s 3 to 4 years old tends to give the best blend of modern tech, meaningful remaining battery warranty, and depreciation that’s already been absorbed by someone else. Much older than that and you start running into batteries approaching the edge of their warranty window; much newer and you’re paying close to new-car prices without getting a new car’s warranty runway.

Check the battery before anything else

None of this matters if the specific car’s battery is in bad shape. See our guide to how EV depreciation actually works for what drives resale value model to model, and read about what happened to Bolt and Fisker owners specifically for a real case study on why checking battery health and manufacturer stability matters more than checking mileage alone.

Sources

Used EV pricing moves quickly and varies by region and mileage; treat the ranges above as a starting point for research, not a quote.