Buying a used electric car: how to check the battery

Short answer: with a used electric car, what matters most is how healthy the battery still is. According to Milieu Centraal a battery usually loses about 2% of its capacity a year, but that varies per car, so have it measured. A study by BOVAG and VER found that the Aviloo flash test and the Moba test give the most reliable picture. Also check the remaining battery warranty, run the free RDW plate check and see whether the car suits your connection at home. If you charge at home with a charger that has an integrated MID meter, a used car earns ERE too. At the bottom you’ll find a checklist for the viewing.

How healthy is the battery?

A battery’s condition is called its state of health (SoH): how much capacity is left compared with new. According to Milieu Centraal a battery usually loses about 2% a year. At that average a battery would have lost about 10% after five years, but the real figure differs per car and per use. So measuring beats estimating.

According to Milieu Centraal, these points matter:

• Temperature. Heat above 40 °C and cold below -10 °C are bad for a battery.
• Cooling. A battery with active, liquid cooling stays in better condition than one with passive cooling.
• Fast charging. Ask how often the car has been fast charged.

Which battery test is reliable?

There is no official RDW battery certificate: the RDW’s buying tips contain no battery check. Garages can test the battery, though. BOVAG and VER compared five battery test systems in 185 test rounds on 24 makes and models.

Test system	Outcome of the study
Aviloo flash test	The most reliable insight
Moba test	The most reliable insight
Bosch	A reasonable picture
Mahle and Hella-Gutmann	Too little data for a verdict

What the study means for you:

• Only through a garage. Only garages can run these tests; they are not meant for private use. Buying privately? Ask for a recent report or have the car tested at a garage first.
• Manufacturer test for warranty. Where the factory warranty matters, BOVAG and VER advise always treating an official manufacturer test as the leading document.
• Replaced batteries happen. In 6.5% of the tested cars the high-voltage battery had already been replaced. So ask about it.

Milieu Centraal also recommends driving about 50 km and then fast charging, to see whether the charging time is right.

Battery warranty: what is usual and what is law?

Manufacturers have agreed among themselves to give 8 years or 160,000 km of battery warranty, whichever comes first. According to Milieu Centraal, it usually covers replacement if the battery drops below 70% of its original capacity within that period. It is not law, and the terms differ per manufacturer. Ask for them, and whether the warranty transfers to you as second owner.

For new cars, the EU’s Euro 7 regulation sets a legal minimum:

	Usual factory warranty	Euro 7 minimum
Status	Agreement between manufacturers	EU type-approval requirement
Threshold	Replacement below 70%, up to 8 years or 160,000 km	At least 80% up to 5 years or 100,000 km, at least 72% up to 8 years or 160,000 km
Applies to	Under the brand’s own terms	New car types from 29 November 2026, all new cars from 29 November 2027

Euro 7 is not a consumer warranty and does not apply to cars already on the road; for a used car the manufacturer’s terms remain decisive. Batteries placed on the market from 18 February 2027 will also get a digital battery passport with a QR code. Most used cars won’t have one yet. More in the buying guide.

RDW checks: plate, odometer and recalls

With just the number plate you can run a free plate check (kentekencheck) at the RDW, the Dutch vehicle authority. Look out for:

• “Tenaamstelling mogelijk?” (can it be registered?). If this says “nee” (no), for example because the car was stolen or exported, you cannot register it in your name.
• Recalls. These are under the Overview tab; repair at the dealer is free. According to the RDW, manufacturers are not obliged to report recalls, so ask as well.
• Odometer. The RDW gives “Logisch” (logical), “Onlogisch” (illogical) or “Geen oordeel” (no verdict), based on readings since 1 January 2014. An import often gets “Geen oordeel”, but Belgian readings are included for cars imported from 13 January 2025, and German ones from 3 February 2026.
• Vehicle report. A dealer’s RDW vehicle report can be checked online with the document number and plate; a private seller’s cannot.

On tax: a used electric car pays the same road tax as a new one, 70% of the rate for a comparable petrol car in 2026, 2027 and 2028. If you import a car yourself, you pay BPM: the amount for a new electric car (€687 in 2026) minus a depreciation. See car tax for an electric car in 2027 and the buying guide.

Charging: does the car suit your connection?

How fast a car charges at home depends on its onboard charger and on your connection. On our electric car pages you can see each model’s standard onboard charger, with its power and number of phases, and which home charger suits it. Watch the phases: a car that charges on one phase gets less power from a three-phase charger than the charger’s rating suggests.

Home connection	Charging power	Full charge takes
Single-phase, usually 1x25A (often older homes)	Up to 3.7 kW	10 to 20 hours
Three-phase, 3x25A (many new-build homes)	7.4 or 11 kW	3.5 to 10 hours

Without a three-phase connection, Milieu Centraal says you can ask your grid operator for an upgrade; the cost depends on the cabling. Having a home charger installed costs about €1,300 to €2,200 including installation. Also check which cables come with the car and, if you want it later, whether the model supports bidirectional charging.

Subsidy for a used electric car

There is no national purchase subsidy now. The SEPP subsidy has closed for good: applications ran up to and including 27 December 2024, and in 2024 it paid €2,000 for a used car.

The government is working on a trade-in subsidy for lower incomes who scrap an old petrol or diesel car (emission class 0 to 4) and buy or privately lease a used electric car with an original list price of €12,000 to €60,000. The proposal is €6,000 or €4,000, depending on your income, and you must keep the car for at least a year. Opening is preferably at the end of 2026, otherwise in the second quarter of 2027. It is not a scheme yet; we track its status in the buying guide.

ERE: a used car earns just as much

ERE is tied to the charger, not the car: under the Energy for Transport Regulation, the charge point’s meter reading is what counts. For private individuals that MID meter has had to be integrated in the charger since 1 January 2026, with no transition year; a separate meter or your smart meter doesn’t count. With such a charger every kWh charged at home earns 0.33269 ERE in 2026, however old your car is. Power your car feeds back doesn’t count.

• Not sure about your charger? Do the charger check, read the MID checklist or browse ERE chargers by brand.
• What does it earn? Work it out with the earnings calculator.
• A lease or company car? Read who can claim the ERE.

Checklist for the viewing

At home, beforehand

1. Free RDW plate check: “Tenaamstelling mogelijk?” says yes, and no open recalls.
2. Odometer verdict “Logisch”? For an import: is there a Belgian or German reading?
3. Onboard charger and phases on the model page: does the car suit your connection?

Ask the seller

4. A recent battery test report (test, date, result), preferably from a test BOVAG and VER rate as reliable.
5. Has the battery ever been replaced, and how often has the car been fast charged?
6. Is the service history complete and have the software updates been done?
7. Manufacturer’s warranty: how many years and km are left, and does it transfer to you?
8. Which charging cables come with it? At a dealer: the RDW vehicle report, which you check online.

Test drive

9. Drive about 50 km, then fast charge: is the charging time right?
10. Charge to full and see what range the car shows.

Before you sign

11. No report? Have the battery tested at a garage; for warranty matters, a manufacturer test.
12. Want to earn ERE? Make sure you have a charger with an integrated MID meter.