Retailers could unlock even more EV sales with battery health info
16th December 2025, London – Retailers have a significant opportunity to unlock potential additional electric vehicle (EV) sales by providing consumers with information on battery health in their adverts, according to new data from Autotrader, the UK’s largest automotive marketplace.
As used electric stock grows 40% year-on-year (YoY)2 and stock levels sit just below 25,000 on Autotrader, the used electric market is maturing solidly. With two in five used EVs now below £20,000, consideration is up with 56% of car buyers considering going electric next time they buy (up from 47% 2024)3. Whilst consideration is up, barriers remain and a substantial 34% of car buyers cite concerns over battery health as a key barrier to making the switch to electric4. This new analysis highlights an opportunity to better engage consumers as the industry adapts to electric car retailing.
Research showed only 56% of used car retailers always perform a battery SOH check as a standard part of their preparation process for retailing EVs, with 10% sometimes conducting a check. Almost a third (29%) responded that they never conduct battery health checks before selling a used electric vehicle. The most common reason for not conducting a check was that the retailers focus on newer cars that are under warranty. Other reasons include not having enough time, relevant equipment or knowledge - one retailer responded that they were too scared to conduct a check.
Of those who do perform checks, only 28% always include the information in their vehicle advertisements with nearly half (46%) never including it. By failing to provide the information, retailers are missing an opportunity to allay consumer fears, running the risk of the buyer not enquiring on the car or moving past it to look at other vehicles.
Even if battery SOH information is not included in adverts, three out of four (72%) retailers discuss battery heath with consumers at some stage. Almost half (45%) of all retailers told us discussions about battery health are instigated by consumers, with 14% saying it was an even split between retailers and car buyers. Just 17% of retailers said they never discuss battery health.
“With used electric cars repeatedly taking top spot for speed of sale on Autotrader, demand is high but this data suggests there is significant untapped sales potential, if all relevant data was shared with consumers.
“Retailers who are proactive in carrying out official battery health checks and, crucially, including that clearly in their adverts understand the opportunity electrification presents and are giving themselves the best chance of success. By giving buyers all the information they need upfront, retailers can immediately differentiate themselves from the competition and unlock a significant stream of sales that would otherwise be lost to doubt.”
Autotrader is exploring options for how to best integrate battery health information in product pages. In the interim, top performing retailers are including images of the battery health check certificate in the images in their vehicle listing and referencing battery health in the vehicle descriptions.
[2] Autotrader on site data, November 2025.
[3] Autotrader Car Buyers Tracker "How likely are you to buy one of the following fuel types next time you buy a car (e.g in 3 years’ time)" Pure EV- 56% (likely and very likely) [Nov-25] - Nov-24 was 47%.
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