Experts Push for Mandatory Battery Health Certification for Used Electric Vehicles

Three organizations—Electrifying.com, research group New AutoMotive, and battery analytics firm BatteryIQ—are asking the government to fix that by mandating standardized battery health certificates on every used EV sold through a dealer, according to Electrifying.com and renewableenergymagazine.com.

The confidence gap on the lot

A joint survey by Electrifying.com and the AA, covering more than 13,000 UK drivers, put the hesitation in plain numbers. Only 3% of respondents said they felt confident buying a used EV. Thirty-eight percent said an independently verified battery health certificate would change their mind. That tracks with what buyers hear at the dealership: shoppers want the same paper trail they'd expect on a used petrol car—service history, mileage, an MOT stamp—except for the pack that actually moves the car.

Ginny Buckley, founder of Electrifying.com, said the research shows that simply telling buyers they have nothing to worry about isn't landing.

What the data actually says about used packs

Independent testing of more than 8,000 EVs found an average battery State of Health above 95%. Many of those vehicles had covered well over 100,000 miles while still retaining more than 90% of original capacity. The fear of a dying pack, on the evidence, is out of step with how modern batteries actually age. The used market is already catching up: BVRLA figures show used EV salary sacrifice agreements up 474% over the past year, used personal contract hire up 484%, and used business contract hire up 50%.

What to do before you sign

• Demand an independent State of Health report, not just whatever the seller's diagnostic tool shows.
• Compare the certificate against mileage and usage. Ninety-two percent SOH at 80,000 commuter miles is a different purchase than 92% after 80,000 motorway miles.
• Treat the battery report as you would an MOT: non-negotiable when you're out-the-door pricing the car.
• Watch whether the UK proposal gains traction. A national standard would likely spread to dealer networks in other markets, the way range ratings eventually standardized across regions.

Ben Nelmes, CEO of New AutoMotive, said every new EV sold today becomes tomorrow's affordable family car, and that policy has done a good job creating supply—the challenge now is stimulating demand. A standardized battery State of Health certificate, the three groups argue, would do that without major public spending.