• 300 miles is the range most buyers want from a used electric car, report 38% of dealers
• 23% say motorists prefer more distance at 400 miles, but only 17% are happy with less at 200 miles
• Two-thirds (65%) report buyers are becoming more interested in charging speeds than range, shows October’s Startline Used Car Tracker

Almost a quarter (23%) believe motorists prefer more distance at 400 miles but only 17% think they are happy with less at 200 miles, shows October’s Startline Used Car Tracker.

Dealers also report that just 3% of drivers will accept 100 miles, and only 3% are seeking 500 miles. However, around a sixth (15%) believe buyers simply want the longest range possible.

Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “Range is clearly a key issue for electric car buyers and, in asking these questions, we wanted to gain some insight from dealers into how used car dealers perceive the issue.

“Our research shows 300 miles is very much the sweet spot of the market but also that almost all demand fits into a band of 200-400 miles of range. There is very limited interest in cars that will travel less or more on a single charge.

“To us, this makes sense. Motorists tend to view the question of range in terms of how far they travel on their longest journeys – and 200-400 miles seems a useful distance before the need to use public highway charging arises.”

The Startline Used Car Tracker also showed that two-thirds (65%) of dealers believe buyers are becoming more interested in charging speeds than range, and 55% say drivers are now more informed about their range needs.

Also, half (50%) say most electric cars now have adequate range for most buyers, and 42% believe there is a customer for every mileage range. However, 37% report shorter range models can be tough to sell.

Paul said: “Dealers feel their customers are developing a more sophisticated understanding of charging, especially that a faster charging speed can be more significant than outright range. As electric cars become increasingly common, this kind of well-informed attitude should become more widespread.”                                                 

The Startline Used Car Tracker is compiled monthly for Startline Motor Finance by APD Global Research, well-known in the motor industry for their business intelligence reporting and customer experience programs. This time, 329 consumers and 60 dealers were questioned.