After petrol and diesel, electric is now the best-selling option.
Sales of new electric cars have risen rapidly in recent years. These cars are now increasingly appearing on the second-hand market, and they are proving to be popular even when used. In the first half of 2018, car dealers sold 1,358 fully electric used cars; last year, that figure had already risen to 3,749, and in the first half of 2020, it has grown further to 7,303 cars. That is 95% more than last year – almost double the figure.
Plug-in hybrids also in demand
Sales of used plug-in hybrids are also continuing to grow. In the first half of 2020, car dealers sold 10,391 such used vehicles, 501 more than in 2019. This means they sold more used plug-in hybrids than LPG cars, and fully electric cars have also overtaken used LPG cars this year. As a result, electricity now ranks third after petrol and diesel.
Smaller EVs popular with private buyers
This year, the compact Renault Zoe is the most purchased fully electric car by private individuals as a used car. Last year, the large Tesla Model S was the best seller, but it is now one of the few models whose sales have actually declined. Private individuals primarily buy smaller EVs. And that's logical: the supply of small, more affordable EVs has increased considerably.
Top 10 electric used car models sold to private individuals
Source: VWE Automotive
Scheme for subsidising electric vehicles for private individuals
As of 1 July, the government is offering individuals a purchase subsidy of €2,000 for a used electric car. This only applies to fully electric cars with a range of at least 120 kilometres and a list price of no more than €45,000. Of the electric cars currently on the road in our country, approximately one-third meet these requirements, totalling 42,855 cars. However, a large portion of these are not even 1.5 years old and will not be available on the used car market for some time.
Maximum range in practice, average 330 km
For many users, the range of an electric car is of great importance. Cars that do not meet the subsidy requirement of at least 120 km are therefore virtually non-existent in our country. Of the fully electric cars in the current fleet, the 55% has a range of over 400 km and, according to the manufacturer’s specifications, the 27% even exceeds 500 km.
In practice, this figure often turns out to be somewhat lower, with only a quarter of the electric car fleet achieving a range of 400 km. For the 65%, the usable range is over 300 km. That seems sufficient for most people’s daily use. 98% of the electric cars in our country are suitable for fast charging. This means the car is fully charged in an average of 33 minutes.