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Global Economy

Why used e-cars are so expensive

Anyone who buys a new electric car now will receive a government subsidy of 6,000 euros at a net list price of up to 40,000 euros. The manufacturer must add a discount of at least 3000 euros, so that the purchase price is usually reduced by around 9000 euros. However, the depreciation of the vehicles in the first year is usually lower than the subsidy. The result: The used car prices are higher than the amount that the new car buyer paid once.

Example: An electric car costs 39,000 euros new. The purchase price drops to 30,000 euros as a result of the purchase premium totaling 9,000 euros. But if the car only loses 6,000 euros in value in the first year, it can still be sold for 33,000 euros. The bottom line is that there is even a profit of 3000 euros.

Many Danes buy electric cars in Germany

Provided there is a buyer who is willing to pay this comparatively high price. There are certainly domestic ones. Because of the lack of chips, people who order a new car sometimes have to wait six months or longer for their car. This is no different with electric cars than with vehicles with conventional drives. Many prospective buyers therefore reach for young used vehicles. 51,067 electric vehicles changed hands last year. 355,961 were newly registered – an increase of 103 percent compared to 2020. Some, however, disappear completely from the German registration statistics and are exported to Denmark, for example.

There is no discount on the list price, but on the high tax on registration, known in Germany as a "luxury tax". This does not apply to most electric cars, the Danish state wants to use it to promote e-mobility. It is therefore worthwhile for many Danes to buy a first-hand electric vehicle in Germany that they have hardly driven. You benefit from the support in your home country as well as in Germany. The result: Due to the continuing demand from the neighboring country, the prices for young used e-cars in Germany remain high.

Promotion also for used cars

A slightly lower electric bonus can also be applied for for young used cars with electric drives. Most important requirements: The first registration must have taken place and been applied for after November 4, 2019, the second registration between June 3, 2020 and December 31, 2022. But: The subsidy bonus does not flow if the car was already subsidized as a new car. But that is the case with most young, used electric cars, which makes them unattractive for many interested parties.

However, if you are looking for a cheap electric car for the city, you can also find a cheap car without subsidies. First-generation electric cars (about eight to ten years old) are sometimes available for significantly less than 10,000 euros. However, the range of today's technologically obsolete drive batteries is then only 100 to 150 kilometers. This is only suitable for city use.

New battery technology as a "game changer"?

The time for big leaps in technology is over for modern electric cars. Anyone who buys a new "electric vehicle" now will still not have yesterday's technology on board in three or four years.

However, by the end of this decade, the solid-state battery could still become a "game changer" that many manufacturers are researching. Unlike the lithium-ion batteries that are widespread today, the storage medium is not liquid. Experts are expecting the new technology to have significantly more range, additional safety and even greater reliability.

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