Electric cars continue to cause discussion, and now there is a study that highlights a serious problem. Here’s what it is.
It is now a fact that electric cars are not the favorite models on the market, also confirmed by official statistics. Just think that in Italy their market share is equal to a paltry 3.7% after the first months of 2024, even down compared to an already very low 4%, the figure with which it ended last year. The main problem with BEVs, as is well known, lies in the excessively high purchase prices, but also in the poor autonomy and charging times, which are often biblical.
Furthermore, state incentives arrived very late this year, which only further caused interest in electric cars to collapse. To all the problems we have mentioned up to now, it is good to refer to another problem, namely to the rapid devaluation of BEVs, which is much more immediate than thermal models. Let’s find out the causes.
Electric cars, that’s why they depreciate quickly
On the website “AlVolante.it“, emphasis was placed on the rapid devaluation of electric cars, which, compared to thermals, pay a price in this respect. Used vehicles are being penalized by what is a very slow but constant decrease in the prices of new BEVs, which, although remaining very expensive, have certainly seen a reduction in price compared to a few years ago, even if there is still a lot to do to reach the famous parity with thermals and hybrids.
Based on research carried out by “Car Vertical“, electric cars, after two years, maintain 82.5% of their initial value on average, compared to 98.4% for petrol cars. Diesels are at 87.4%, while hybrids are at 83.9%. The figure then collapses after 5 years, falling to 53.9%, and it is here that the gap with petrol widens, given that the latter are still, on average, at 76.4%.
The reason? Carrying out checks on a used internal combustion engine car is much easier than on electric cars. The latter, in fact, they are dependent on the battery pack, which if worn, can significantly reduce the vehicle’s range, and replacing the batteries can cost, outside of warranty, even several thousand euros. Overcoming this problem will not be easy for BEVs in the future either.
