Here’s How to Buy the Best Used EV

Right now is the best time yet to bag a bargain secondhand electric car. But how do you test battery health? Or charging ability? Here’s WIRED’s expert tips on how to get it done properly.

Haven't you heard?! If you’re at all interested in going electric, a recipe of US tax policy changes plus recent progress in vehicle and battery tech means the perfect time to buy a used electric vehicle is, well, now. Really: A $4,000 used EV tax credit for qualified buyers expires at the end of September, which means you’ll be competing with other electric bargain hunters for the next few weeks.

The question, of course, is how. Electric vehicles have some crucial differences from their gas-powered cousins, which means there are a few tricks to picking out whatever is the opposite of a ...