Used electric vehicles under $25,000 surge as new EV sales crash

[SunSeeker]

Almost 89,000 used EVs changed hands in the last three months of 2025, up 13.5% from a year earlier, according to Cox Automotive. What’s more, the inventory of used electric machines is turning over in about 50 days, slightly faster than for gas-powered cars. By contrast, sales of new EVs fell 36% in the fourth quarter of last year.

“The buzz word for the year is ‘affordability’ for a really good reason,” said Liz Najman, director of market insights at Recurrent, which provides range estimates and other EV-centric data to car dealers and shoppers. “You can get a two- or three-year-old EV for 50% off and you’re talking about something with a lot of technology and a warranty on the battery.”

Consider a Nissan Leaf, which travels about 150 miles on a charge and can power a house in a blackout. In the last three years, that vehicle has lost almost 70% of its value, and recently was selling for about $12,000. A Nissan Versa, a comparable gas-powered model, has retained more than 70% of its original price in the same period, selling for roughly $14,000.

There’s also evidence that electric vehicles — without radiators, spark plugs or oil — may prove to be more reliable over time than gas-powered machines. A January study from the University of Michigan found the total cost of owning a used electric vehicle is drastically lower than that of any other type of car, largely because of relatively low bills for fuel and upkeep.

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-02-17/used-electric-vehicles-under-25-000-surge-as-new-ev-sales-crash

[no_hypocrisy]

1. As Mom always told me: DON'T BUY RETAIL.

[hatrack]

2. OEMs really screwed the pooch on this . . .

The links below provide information on all current PHEV and EV models available in the US market.

https://www.shift2electric.com/evinfolist

https://www.shift2electric.com/_files/ugd/49f443_ad10da40d9b54bf9bffcfd350e1f91b2.pdf

Here are base MSRPs from the first page of the eight-page guide:

$50,500
$59,000
$63,800
$69,600
$65,900
$127,700
$57,900
$67,100
$105,700
$75,150
$75,500
$119,500

Now, it's alpha by OEM, so these are Audis and BMWs, and they're pricey. That said, not much changes as you work through the list.

There are two models with MSRP below $30,000 - the Bolt and the LEAF. Two. There are a total of twelve models priced between $30,000 and $40,000, out of 95 listed.