Hybrids and Electric Vehicles (Evs) hit used car market
Despite estimates* that £170m in Government green car grants could be unclaimed by 2015, AA Cars, the AA’s used car portal, has seen a big increase in the number of used hybrid and electric vehicles for sale.
The Government scheme set up in 2011 by then transport secretary Philip Hammond, has failed to meet initial predictions so far. A sum of £400 million was set aside to fund grants of up to £5,000 for anyone purchasing an eligible hybrid or electric car. However the take-up has been slower than expected.
The AA Cars site currently lists 1,369 hybrid and electric cars with hybrids accounting for most with 1,260 in stock. Toyota, Lexus and Honda are all represented in the Top Ten.
| Make | Model | Number in stock |
| Toyota | Prius | 294 |
| Toyota | Auris | 198 |
| Lexus | RX | 167 |
| Lexus | CT | 164 |
| Toyota | Yaris | 109 |
| Lexus | IS | 81 |
| Honda | Insight | 76 |
| Honda | CR-Z | 59 |
| Honda | Jazz | 37 |
| Lexus | GS | 35 |
| Honda | Civic | 10 |
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The date of registration of the majority of used Hybrid cars are from last year:
| Year | Number in stock |
| 2004 | 2 |
| 2005 | 7 |
| 2006 | 10 |
| 2007 | 35 |
| 2008 | 44 |
| 2009 | 58 |
| 2010 | 147 |
| 2011 | 159 |
| 2012 | 234 |
| 2013 | 567 |
| 2014 | 17 |
There are fewer pure electric cars on the used car market with AA Cars listing just over 100 vehicles. The Nissan Leaf is by far the most listed EV.
| Make | Model | Number in stock |
| Nissan | Leaf | 70 |
| Renault | Twizy | 8 |
| Vauxhall | Ampera | 5 |
| Renault | Kangoo | 3 |
| Mitsubishi | i-MIEV | 2 |
| Smart | ForTwo | 2 |
| Ford | Transit | 1 |
The least expensive used Leaf starts from £10k compared with £16k for the basic new one.
There is one Ford Transit. This very rare conversion was completed by Smith Electric Vehicles.
Used EVs are mainly 2012 and 2013 registered cars:
| Year | Number in stock |
| 2014 | 3 |
| 2013 | 57 |
| 2012 | 39 |
| 2011 | 7 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2009 | 2 |
David Bruce, director of AA Cars, said:
We have not yet seen the widespread consumer leap of faith to fully embrace electric cars. Some drivers feel that even with the Government grants some of these new vehicles are still too pricy while the lack of public electric vehicle charging infrastructure is another disincentive for those looking to make longer journeys.
However there are some great ‘green’ deals to be had through AA Cars.
Drivers buying via AA Cars get the added advantage of a free 26 point car history check and a year’s free AA membership. So if some potential buyers are unsure whether to buy an eclectic car due to range anxiety as the charge gets low, they can rest assured that the AA would be there to help them out.
