Buying a pre-owned EV or hybrid? Find a battery health test

Battery health

In a piece about used hybrid vehicle batteries, InsideEVs discussed different vehicle manufacturers and the performance of the their high voltage batteries over time. Near the finish with the recommendation that “you always perform a battery health check before buying a used PHEV.”

Well who knows how to do that?? Not so many.

However, at least one used car site — Carvana — performs these tests and reports the results for each vehicle its selling.

Note that this is not intended as an add for the company. But the fact is when I was searching for a pre-owned EV a year ago, theirs’s was the only site I found at that time that reported battery health.

It was an enormous help, as I was able to discern which EV’s batteries tested well consistently. In truth, the Kia Niro I settled on consistently showed mileage expectations that exceeded original EPA estimates when new. And the car went beyond the stated expectations.

The data are the results of testing by the German car club ADAC. Among the hybrids noted in the piece, those from Mercedes-Benz PHEVs performed the best. Vehicles from BMW, Volvo and Volkswagen also performed well, seeing “normal” degradation over time, which is loosely defined as holding ~85% capacity after 200,000 km (~125,000 miles) of driving.

Ford plug-in hybrids saw steep degradation early on, with heavy electric-mode users seeing a 10% drop in capacity before 25,000 km (15,500 miles). ADAC added that “The data from Mitsubishi are particularly striking: Many vehicles in the study show significant battery aging even after relatively low mileage, which then stabilizes somewhat.”

While the recommendation to “do” a battery health check doesn’t strike us as helpful, the following guidelines are. As you’re shopping, look for the following numbers: At 31,000 miles (50,000 km), the battery should still have at least 92% of its original capacity, 88% at 62,000 miles (100,000 km), 84% at 93,000 miles (150,000 km) and 80% at 124,000 miles (200,000 km).

You should not have to perform this yourself, and all reputable used car sites or lots, if they don’t already, soon will show the battery’s health. At least one already does.

Of course, if you’re buying from a private party, you’ll need to do a search for someone willing and able to perform the test.

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The material on these pages is provided for information sharing purposes only and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business, nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Remember — only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

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