New report shows used electric cars are holding their charge better than expected

Buying an electric car always comes with questions about the battery - the range, the size and the dreaded longevity. Skeptics warned that after a few years, the expensive battery pack would become as useless as an old smartphone. Will it die in five years? Will it cost a fortune to replace? A new study from Sweden suggests these widespread fears might be overblown.

Swedish used car broker Kvdbil analyzed 1,300 used electric cars and plug-in hybrids to see how their batteries were holding up. Their findings were striking: eight out of ten vehicles still had over 90 percent of their original battery capacity. This data shows that for the vast majority of owners, battery degradation is not the major problem many expected it to be. The technology, it seems, is proving to be remarkably durable.

The news is good for most models, but the study did name a champion. The Kia EV6 showed the least battery degradation of all models tested, earning it the top spot. Kia's other popular electric car, the e-Niro, came second. This performance puts the Korean brand ahead of other major players in this specific study. The list of top performers also included well-known EVs like the Tesla Model Y (in third place), and the Audi Q4 e-tron.

To get these results, Kvdbil measured the batteries' "State of Health," or SoH. This metric is a simple way to compare a battery's current condition to its total capacity when it was brand new. The team tested 723 all-electric cars and 643 plug-in hybrids, giving them a large set of data.

The results were so positive they even surprised the researchers. "We have seen indications of this before," said Martin Reinholdsson, the test manager at Kvdbil. "We were a bit surprised that there were so many that were this good."

Kvdbil did not release a list of the worst-performing cars, because the few batteries that showed poor health were not from one specific brand or model. Instead, significant wear was linked to high mileage and advanced age. The company's analysis concluded that the real threats to a battery are not a bad design, but rather the "age, climate, driving style and charging habits." This suggests that how you treat your electric car matters more than who made it.

This means owners of electric cars have much bigger control over their battery's long-term lifespan than expected. Reinholdsson's advice is simple and practical. First, avoid charging the battery to 100 percent every night. For daily driving, stopping at 80 percent is much healthier for the battery pack. Second, do not rely on DC fast charging every day. While fast charging is perfect for road trips, using it too often creates heat and stress that can wear the battery down. Finally, try to avoid parking the car in extreme heat or cold for long periods.

Interestingly, the Kvdbil study is not alone in its findings. A separate report from RSEV, a British dealer, found nearly identical results. That study showed the average electric car retained 90 percent of its battery capacity even after 90,000 miles. It seems the first generation of modern electric cars is proving more durable than critics feared. The data shows the technology is sound. The challenge for car makers is no longer just building a good battery, but also convincing the public to trust it.

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