Second-hand electric car with a 2,000 euro subsidy: what is for sale and how far can you get it
There is a subsidy on used electric cars for the private buyer. If you buy an EV as an occasion, you can claim a government bonus of 2,000 euros. Does an EV become interesting? And what is currently for sale? We will guide you through the world of rechargeable used cars.
Perhaps this arrangement will come at a very good time, as more people want to use individual instead of public transport because of corona. Then that two grand extra discount is a nice boost. That does not detract from the fact that for a fun and somewhat usable car you still have to pay a lot of attention. The biggest stumbling block is not that difficult to guess: the range. If you want a used EV that actually achieves about 200 kilometers in practice, the price quickly rises to € 20,000, from which the two grand starts. Bottom line, that is still a lot of money, because for half you buy a more than decent, not too old and economical hatchback in the C-segment. Yes, it costs you gasoline and motor vehicle tax and it is more environmentally harmful than an electric car, especially when you talk about local emissions. But how many people are, for ideological reasons, willing to spend a lot of extra money and thereby sacrifice freedom of movement?
From € 15,000 interesting occasions
We take a look at Autotrack and see that at the time of writing, 1,332 EVs (year of construction up to and including 2018) are for sale, including cargo bikes, 45 km Renault Twizys and other strange creations. If you select ‘up to and including 2019’, then there are suddenly more than 3,000, because there are many new, not yet registered cars. The BMW, Hyundai, Nissan and Renault brands are the most widely represented, with the i3, Ioniq, Leaf and Zoe successively. Of these four, the Hyundai is still the most normal car, the other three are not to everyone’s taste. If you select a maximum price of € 10,000, then mainly the Zoe and the Leaf remain; these are cars with a battery of 22 or 24 kWh, which does not get you much further than 100 kilometers. And in the winter a lot less far. Don’t forget that with the Zoe you pay a monthly amount for battery rental. In the price range of 10,000 to 15,000 euros you will find the same models, supplemented by the Fiat 500E and the VW e-Up. Between 15 and 20 grand, the offer is already a bit better, and a range of 200 km is in sight. In short, there is quite a choice in brands and models, but you have to take into account a limited range. That € 2,000 discount is not going to change that.
What is the condition of the battery pack?
Very important when purchasing an EV is the condition of the battery, while with a car with a combustion engine you mainly pay attention to the mileage. That counts a little less with an EV, because its powertrain is less sensitive to wear and tear and in addition, most electric occasions have not driven that much. To view the condition of the battery, the dealer / trader can read the State of Health value in the system. A good test drive also reveals a lot. Start with a fully charged battery and preferably drive it as empty as possible. Then you immediately see whether the promised range is achievable. It is also possible to have a new battery pack installed in your EV, but for a Nissan Leaf, for example, that will quickly cost you € 5,000. There are also specialists who can install a larger battery pack, for the first generation Leaf for example. Then you go to 40 kWh; that operation costs almost nine grand.
Less maintenance
Just think: no oil, no filters (except for the one for the interior), no spark plugs and so we can go on for a while. A lot is going to change in this area in the automotive industry: the brakes of an EV also wear much less, due to regenerative braking (on the engine, where energy is recovered to the battery). The maintenance costs will therefore initially be limited to the tires and the chassis. A shift can be seen in the workshop: because EVs often have additional software-driven functions, for example for planning charging and preheating, and because EVs are increasingly being launched on completely new car platforms, there is relatively more work for mechanics. to do on the computers than in the workshop. It often happens that various software updates are required to remove teething problems from a new EV model.
A battery loses power
A battery does not have eternal life, as your smartphone proves all too clearly. With a car battery, the aging process is something to take into account. This too will eventually lose its power. Ergo: at a certain point you won’t get far with a somewhat older EV. Both the age in years and the number of kilometers driven (preferred by battery specialists to be expressed as a number of ‘charging cycles’) determine the degree of degradation of the battery. You can assume that, for example, a six-year-old Leaf will not get as far as it did on the day it left the factory. Sometimes no more than 70 kilometers on a cold winter day. If we do not look at age but at the mileage, we think of stories about relatively young Teslas with already two tons on the clock with hardly any degradation. According to the most recent studies, it seems that EV batteries maintain their original range up to mileage of 300,000 to 500,000 kilometers. This means a lifespan of 20 to 25 years for average passenger car use.
Not every EV vehicle can fast charge
A major disadvantage of some older EV models is that they cannot fast charge (DC) at a fast charging station. Or they can only charge on one phase at a normal charging point (AC) and with no more than 16 amperes, so that at such charging points they can only charge at the lowest imaginable speed (i.e. with only 3.7 kW charging power). In twenty minutes to 80 percent capacity, as the modern EV can, you can usually forget. So first take a good look at the options for normal charging (AC) and fast charging (DC) with the car of your choice, because with a limited range it is nice if you can top up something quickly on the road. That makes an EV a lot more practical for all kinds of journeys.
The offer: quite pricey and no road eaters
The range of electric used cars is not yet very large. Logical, because sales only got off to a good start in 2018. By the way, pay close attention to the advertised prices. More than once they are exclusive of VAT and sometimes the € 2,000 subsidy is already included in the asking price. Tesla is missing from the overview on the right, because the list price is above € 45,000.
Electric is cheaper
Refueling is a thing of the past with an EV. But what do you spend on electricity? It depends on where you charge the car: on the road or at home. In the latter case, you are the cheapest, especially if you have solar panels. Then you drive almost for free. It is not easy to say what you pay at a public charging station. There are quite a few providers of poles, electricity and passes. Transparency is hard to find. You can, however, find a lot about this on the website belastingpastop10.nl. Charging at home costs about 23 cents per kWh, with a normal charging station it costs between 20 and 60 cents per kWh and with a fast charger between 25 and 79 cents per kWh. In addition, a starting rate sometimes applies. This lack of transparency makes it somewhat difficult to calculate how much you spend on electricity every year. Suppose you have lost an average of 40 cents per kWh and drive 15,000 km per year in a car with an average consumption of 17 kWh / 100 km. You need 2,550 kWh for that. That is € 1,020, but if you always charge at home, it is only € 586! With a petrol car (for which you also pay road tax!) That consumes an average of 7.0 l / 100 km, that is € 1,533 in fuel (€ 1.46 per liter).
Conditions SEPP
- The scheme runs from July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025.
- The budget for 2020 is € 17.2 million.
- The 100% electric passenger car has a range of at least 120 km.
- The car must have been produced as an electric passenger car. It may not have been converted into an electric car.
- The list price (original new price) on the date of first authorization was not less than € 12,000 and not higher than € 45,000.
- For the purchase of the electric passenger car, you have concluded a written purchase agreement with a car company that has RDW ‘Company stock’ recognition. The used electric passenger car has not previously been registered in the name of the subsidy applicant or of a person who has the same home address.
- The purchase agreement was concluded on or after June 4, 2020 and is in the name of the individual who applies for and receives the subsidy.
- The passenger car (vehicle registration) and the purchase agreement are in the name of the subsidy applicant.
- You have a valid residential address in the Netherlands.
- The grant application must be submitted within 60 days of signing the purchase agreement. The car must remain in the name of the grant applicant for 3 years
Conclusion
The transition to electric driving is less pleasant for the used car buyer than for someone who buys a new EV – the € 2,000 subsidy cannot change that much. The current range consists of models with a short range, which also usually do not have a fast charging option. It feels a bit like buying an old laptop. Interesting models will only come out of the lease in about four years. Such as the Hyundai Kona Electric, the Kia e-Niro, the Volkswagen ID.3, the Renault Zoe R90 and of course the leading Tesla Model 3. These cars are a fully-fledged alternative to your current hatchback or station wagon, with which you and your family going on vacation or visiting that uncle or aunt 150 kilometers away.