Affordable second-hand electric cars
Consumers will be able to buy affordable second-hand electric vehicles.
Why it’s important
Through its Green Deal, the EU is making efforts to tackle the climate crisis by cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions. This resulted in a 2022 decision to end the sale of new combustion engine cars from 2035. BEUC welcomed it as good news for drivers’ wallets and the environment.
For consumers, that means:
- Improved access to greener vehicles at an affordable price
- Incentives to transition away from the internal combustion engine
What BEUC did
We continuously brought the consumer dimension to the table as the EU began to legislate on reducing car CO2 emissions. That is because consumer behaviour is key to the success of climate efforts. The problem is that consumers are locked into a mobility system thatdepends on fossil fuels.
First, BEUC and nine of its members [1] conducted research and found that a medium-sized electric car bought in 2021 was already the most financially interesting solution over its lifetime compared to a similar-sized petrol or diesel car. Electric cars are also the fairest engine on the market because second- and third-hand owners bear less of the car’s depreciation and benefit from low maintenance and running costs. EU legislation to reduce emissions pushes car makers to bring electric cars to the market faster, which in turn creates a second-hand market.
We also countered criticism of the green credentials of electric cars, finding that overall they are the most environmentally sound option. We nevertheless called on policymakers to clean up the electric car supply chain. The study also revealed that electric car batteries are expected to last at least as long as the car itself, making out-of-warranty replacement unlikely.
This being said: not everyone has, wants or can afford a car, which is why BEUC advocates sustainable alternatives to car use.
[1] National consumer organisations in Belgium (Testachats/Testaankoop), Cyprus (Κυπριακού Συνδέσμου Καταναλωτών/Kypriakos Syndesmos Katanaloton), France (UFC-Que Choisir), Germany (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband – vzbv), Italy (Altroconsumo), Lithuania (Lietuvos vartotojų organizacijų aljansas – LVOA), Portugal (DECO), Slovenia (Zveza Potrošnikov Slovenije – ZPS) and Spain (OCU).