On the second-hand market, it takes a long time to sell an electric car. One reason is given: prices are not falling fast enough.
We thought electric cars were in high demand in second hand, but a study calls this impression into question. This is a study on the situation of the second-hand market, carried out by Autorola and relayed by self-actu. According to data compiled from professionals in April, it takes 118 days to sell an electric model on the second-hand market. With a hybrid, it’s 78 days and a diesel 58 days!
For the latter, the period tends to shorten over the months, due to a drop in supply in stocks. Diesel represented 42.5% of stocks last month, compared to 50.5% in October 2022. Conversely, the stock of electric vehicles is starting to be increasingly supplied. They reached a record volume of 5% in inventory, while they represent 3% of sales of the pros.
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Not surprising. Sales of electric cars really took off in 2020, with the arrival of new models, such as the Peugeot e-208. However, these are vehicles most often sold for rental. Many thus join the second-hand market after three or four years of life.
But the Autorola data may also point to another aspect: high prices. According to the study, “While in most other countries, dealers and traders have drastically reduced the prices of their electric used cars, to sell off their stocks, the French market remains firm and resists such measures”. Since January 2022, they have even increased by 15%, while they have fallen by 1% in Germany or 5% in Belgium.
The electric car is holding up well, but perhaps too much. Prices on the second-hand market may not be attractive enough compared to new models that still benefit from a generous bonus. The latter can again reach 7,000 € in 2023, against 1,000 € on a second-hand model. Not to mention the arrival of new models at low prices, such as the MG 4, or others whose prices have melted, for example the Tesla Model 3. This is all the more disturbing to the rating of second-hand copies!
