used EV – A common fear about EV batteries doesn’t always match reality. Misryoum explores why well-treated packs can last, how pricing is shifting, and how EVs could earn money by supporting the power grid.
A lot of people assume an EV’s best days end early, mainly because battery life sounds like the ticking clock inside the vehicle.
Misryoum reports that a growing body of evidence is challenging that instinct—especially when batteries are treated well.. The idea starts with a familiar perception: that EV batteries age poorly. pushing down resale values and making used purchases feel risky.. That belief has helped shape how EVs depreciate compared with petrol or diesel cars.
The economic backdrop isn’t exactly comforting at first glance.. Batteries remain a major cost component of an EV—around a third of the price of a new vehicle in Misryoum’s coverage—so any anxiety about longevity naturally becomes anxiety about value.. But the costs themselves have changed dramatically: Misryoum notes that batteries are about 99% cheaper to build than they were 30 years ago.. That’s a key reason why the market is starting to look different, at least on paper.
In the UK. Misryoum highlights a noteworthy shift: the average new EV being sold is now cheaper than the average new petrol car.. That doesn’t automatically make used EVs “safe bets,” though.. New pricing can mask how depreciation actually behaves once real-world ownership begins—charging habits. climate exposure. and battery management all come into play.
Here’s where the narrative begins to split.. Misryoum points to a recent report suggesting that EV batteries treated well can outlast the cars themselves.. If that holds broadly. it reframes the used-car conversation: instead of treating battery wear as the main source of future cost. buyers may need to think more about condition. servicing. and charging patterns.. In other words. the problem may be less “EV batteries fail early” and more “EVs aren’t all used the same way.”
Misryoum’s coverage also connects battery longevity to a wider financial story—one that is increasingly about what owners can earn. not just what they lose when they sell.. Nearly 23 hours a day, most EVs sit parked and connected.. That idle time is emerging as an opportunity for the grid to borrow flexibility from vehicle batteries. smoothing spikes in demand and soaking up excess electricity when generation is abundant.
In the US, a trial scheme described by Misryoum is intended to estimate how profitable this could be.. The core premise is simple: when the grid needs power. it can draw from parked EV batteries. and owners can be paid when they provide that service.. Misryoum reports that the average EV driver could earn several thousand pounds each year through such arrangements.. The specific outcome will depend on program design. participation rules. and local electricity markets—but the direction is clear: ownership value may increasingly include “grid participation. ” not only reduced fuel costs.
That shift matters because it helps explain why the EV transition may accelerate faster due to economics than pure climate messaging.. Misryoum frames this as a practical calculation.. If running costs rise for petrol and diesel—whether from geopolitical shocks like the Iran war fuel crisis or from general volatility—EV charging costs can start looking more predictable by comparison.. When budgets tighten. “total cost of ownership” becomes the headline. and battery concerns become easier to evaluate with hard data rather than fear.
There’s also a cultural punchline tucked into the history Misryoum recalls.. Henry Ford’s apocryphal philosophy focused on making components last less than the car, so materials could be cheaper.. EVs flip the logic: if batteries can be durable enough to span the vehicle’s lifetime. then the “most expensive part” may not have to be the “fastest to fail.” That’s the twist Misryoum’s report brings to the used-car market—an environment where used EVs could look like a stronger deal than they first appear.
Looking ahead, Misryoum’s analysis suggests the road may be less foggy for consumers and investors.. Battery price declines make EVs easier to buy new; improved understanding of battery aging makes them easier to buy used; and grid-linked earnings could further support demand.. If these threads keep strengthening at once. the used EV market could stop being defined by uncertainty and start being defined by reliability—and that would be a real change in how people judge the technology they’re driving.