Battery health tests ‘to become standard component’ in used cars sales

Battery health tests will become a standard component that is included whenever anyone buys an EV rather thanan add on components as it currently stands.

That’s the view of the Car Remarketing Association Europe (CARA), which has already introduced a European battery health check standard .

Roland Gagel, workshop lead for battery health, said: “The importance of a battery health check is unquestionable.

“The question is about whether the battery health check remains an add-on for the consumer when they buy the car like today or becomes more of standard component that is included whenever anyone buys an EV.

“We believe that it will become a standard component and the CARA Battery Health Check is a standard that develops in that direction.”

The new government’s plans on used electric vehicle (EV) battery health checks were discussed at July’s meeting of the Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA), held at Cox Automotive in Bruntingthorpe.

Abdul Chowdhury, head of vehicle policy at the Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles, said that the principles had been outlined in Labour’s Automotive Sector Plan, published in October 2023, and highlighted the Government’s work to date on the United Nations Global Technical Regulation Number 22 on EV batteries (GTR 22).

He said: “GTR 22 provides the requirement for a battery state of health monitor which is in an easily accessible manner, such as through the vehicle’s dashboard. It also details minimum performance standards for EV batteries, which have already been incorporated into UK regulations through the ZEV mandate’s warranty requirements.”

The VRA meeting featured battery health check experts from organisations including Altelium, Aviloo, the Car Remarketing Association Europe (CARA) and ClearWatt.

Matthieu Peugeot, sales manager at Aviloo, one of the CARA-approved battery health check providers, emphasised the significant impact of state of health (SoH) tests on end customers’ purchasing decisions and their price sensitivity.

He said: “Currently, SoH diagnostics provided by Aviloo are considered a highly valuable add-on, with EV remarketers and buyers becoming increasingly aware of their benefits. An SoH certificate serves as an effective sales support tool and is a key.”