Used EV buying guide: The $30,000 edition - Ars Technica

Overview

Depending on the model, you might have hundreds to choose from—or just one.

A strange thing is happening in the used EV market. Supply is up thanks to an ever-increasing stream of ex-lease cars reaching the market, and yet prices have been going up as well. As a result of America’s latest war in the Middle East, used EVs have appreciated by just over 5 percent since February. Despite the stronger pricing, used EV sales have been strong this year—up 25 percent year over year by May, although a weaker June has brought overall sales up just over 20 percent year over year, according to the analysts at Cox Automotive.

Details

Used EVs also hang around on dealer lots a lot less than new ones—the same analysts at Cox found just 38 days’ supply of used EVs in June, but 81 days for new EVs. And much of the demand is at the cheaper end of the spectrum, say the analysts at Recurrent. In previous installments of our used EV buyers’ guide, we’ve already looked at the most affordable used EVs, ending last time at

25,000—EVs that may now qualify for a

1,750 rebate if you’re in California. Today we’re looking at used EVs that cost between

25,000 and

30,000, and according to Autotrader’s search, there are more than 9,000 used EVs for sale in that price range.

Broadly, you can split the results into three buckets: Cars where you’ll find plenty to choose from; ones where there might be a couple of hundred for sale nationwide; and then the oddities where there might just be a handful to pick from.

We are now several years down the road from the debut of several mass-market EVs from mainstream brands, and it’s not surprising that there’s the greatest choice among models that have been strong sellers. Chevrolet is well-represented, with about 750 Blazer EVs and another 550 Equinox EVs available in our price band. The smaller Equinox EV starts new at not that much more, so used ones should be low mileage and well-specced. Neither will have Apple Car Play nor Android Auto, which is a sticking point for a lot of you out there.

There’s a decent selection of Ford Mustang Mach-Es in this price range, too, with almost 700 to choose from around the country. At this price, you’ll find Mach-Es as recent as model year 2025, but I would be quite tempted by one of the 50 Mach-E GTs I found for sale. These will only be MY23 cars, and they are less efficient than other Mach-E variants, but they also ride much better thanks to magnetorheological dampers.

Although Hyundai’s ICCU reliability has commenters running from Korean EVs, the automaker recently extended the ICCU warranty to 15 years/180,000 miles, so we still feel comfortable recommending its E-GMP-based EVs, like the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6. There are more than 1,000 Ioniq 5s to pick from, the newest being MY25 cars. Kia’s EV6 shares the same platform, but you’ll only find half as many on used lots. Some prefer the styling of the Kia to the angular Ioniq 5.

Given Tesla’s enormous market share for EVs, it’s no surprise that you’ll find thousands of them for sale, used, in our price range.

There are about the same number of used Nissan Ariyas as Volkswagen ID.4s—roughly 400 of each for sale used. The Nissan is an underappreciated option in my opinion, with a better interior than the VW. There are also a couple hundred Honda Prologues, which are essentially the Chevy Blazer EV but with Apple Car Play. The closely related Toyota b Z4x and Subaru Solterra also show up in roughly the same volumes; these will be the older models with CCS1 charge ports and the less-efficient first-generation powertrains. And if you want something a little smaller, there are low-mileage Kia Niro EVs on offer too.

Sedan lovers should consider the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Polestar 2. The former is wonderfully efficient and looks a lot better in person than two-dimensionally on a screen. The latter is now from an OEM that has exited the US market, which may well put some people off, but the cars can be serviced at Volvo dealers, so don’t be scared. At this price, we found a mix of older single-motor FWD cars, single-motor RWD cars (Polestar switched for MY24), plus twin-motor AWD versions. Or stick with Volvo itself. There are about three times as many C40 coupes available as the XC40 Recharge, but quite a lot of people prefer the looks of the fastback, so this is no bad thing.

Audi’s Q4 e-tron crossover is basically a more premium VW ID.4 and does little to stand out from the alternatives here. The same can’t be said for the BMW i 4, which now starts appearing in my searches as we passed the $25,000 floor. For this money, we’re looking at the i 4 e Drive 35, which is the less-powerful RWD version. But it’s also the most efficient, and in my opinion, the single-motor i 4s are much sweeter to drive than the AWD ones (although I’ve only driven the e Drive 40, not the e Drive 35).

An Ioniq 5, Mach-E GT, or i 4 would be my picks of the bunch so far, but here are some other alternatives we found. Some I mostly include as a warning—probably safer to avoid the few Vinfast VF8s and Jaguar I-Paces out there, as well as the handful of Jeep Wagoneer Ses that have depreciated to this price range. While I would say the I-Pace was a fun-to-drive EV, our managing editor Eric Bangeman had no end of trouble with his and now drives a Mach-E instead. As for the Vinfast and Jeep, both are among the worst EVs I’ve driven to date. I wasn’t much of a fan of the Lexus RZ 450e, either (although it’s by no means as bad as the Jeep or Vinfast), a few of which you’ll find for less than $30,000.

Less common options that still come with a fancy badge include the Mercedes GLB crossover and the original Audi e-Tron if you want something German, or the Cadillac Lyriq and Acura ZDX if you want an EV made in America. The Acura and Caddy will be harder to find, with the latter being mostly high-mileage ex-livery cars.

You’ll also find some very nearly new Nissan Leafs and some Chevy Bolt EUVs; the Leafs include the current model that starts at under

30,000 (if you ignore the destination charge), and Chevy will sell you a new Bolt with an LFP battery pack from less than

30,000 new, so if that’s the model you’re looking for, you might be able to find either one brand new. For a small city car, the Mini Cooper SE is a hoot to drive, but limited in range.

And then there are the real rarities. I was surprised to find only three Genesis GV60s in this price range; it’s smaller than the related EV6 or Ioniq 5, but with a higher spec and better interior, and its smaller size means it works great in the city. A Ford F-150 Lightning Pro might be a possibility at under $30,000 if you’re patient and if you need a pickup and don’t mind a work spec. And similar patience may turn up a Kia EV9 if you need something voluminous for the school run. I have to say, I’d be very tempted by the Bright Drop delivery vans, several of which are now within our price range—start here if you want to build yourself an electric camper wagon.

For the really brave, you might even slip into one of the really fancy EV sedans. We found eight Mercedes-Benz EQSs, making it almost common compared to the single Lucid Air Grand Touring that showed up. Either of those is a lot of car for

30,000, but that goes double for the lone Audi e-Tron GT and the only Porsche Taycan (a 4S) that also appeared. They drive quite differently from each other despite sharing a platform; the Audi has a more usable interior with fewer touchscreens, and the Porsche has the better badge and keener handling. I mean, yes, plenty could go wrong with a

30,000 electric Porsche that has servicing bills belonging to a car that cost four times as much new. But I imagine it could be rather fun finding out.

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Key Takeaways

Depending on the model, you might have hundreds to choose from—or just one
A strange thing is happening in the used EV market
Used EVs also hang around on dealer lots a lot less than new ones—the same analysts at Cox found just 38 days’ supply of used EVs in June, but 81 days for new EVs
Broadly, you can split the results into three buckets: Cars where you’ll find plenty to choose from; ones where there might be a couple of hundred for sale nationwide; and then the oddities where there might just be a handful to pick from
We are now several years down the road from the debut of several mass-market EVs from mainstream brands, and it’s not surprising that there’s the greatest choice among models that have been strong sellers