What a car will cost in depreciation is not entirely easy to predict, and this is especially true of electric cars because they are a fairly new class of car on the used market.
During the pandemic years, electric cars held their value very well, but over the past year they have instead been some of the least economical cars to own in terms of depreciation.
We Car Owners has compiled how much different electric cars have lost in value over the past year, based on the cars’ new price and what car dealers advertise them for on the Block.
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Elbil lost SEK 400,000 in one year
The electric car that, in terms of kroner and ören, has lost the most value is Tesla’s performance flagship Model S Plaid.
We Car owners found a Tesla Model S Plaid from 2023 advertised for SEK 1,078,070, which is a loss of value of SEK 400,000 compared to the new price.
The car has driven 1,400 miles, and calculated in depreciation per mile, this corresponds to a depreciation of SEK 286.
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SEK 571 per mile in depreciation
However, the electric car that shows by far the greatest reduction in value per mile is a BMW i5 M60 of the 2024 model year, which is advertised for SEK 1,138,700.
The car has lost SEK 330,700 in value in just 579 miles. This corresponds to a reduction in value of a whopping SEK 571 per mile.
Other electric cars that have lost a lot in value are the Kia EV6 RWD GT-Line and the Porsche Taycan 4S Sport Turismo, with value reductions of SEK 172 and SEK 161 per mile, respectively.
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Volvo and diesel are winning concepts
However, the fact that large, expensive sedans with high power lose a lot of value in a short time is nothing new – this has long been the case for petrol cars as well.
None of the electric cars in Vi Bilägare’s compilation has lost less than SEK 100 per mile during their first years on the road. The best is the Audi Q4 50 e-tron quattro with a value reduction of SEK 105 per mile.
Some plug-in hybrids have also lost considerable value. The worst is the Skoda Superb Combi Sportline iV with a loss of SEK 252 per mile, followed by the BMW 530e xDrive with a loss of SEK 179 per mile.
As an example of how low the depreciation on a new car can be, Vi Bilägare has also included a more traditional wagon in the form of a Volvo station wagon with a diesel engine. A 2019 Volvo V90 Cross Country D5 AWD has only lost 25 kroner per mile in its five years on the road.
Staying away from novelties and keeping your car for a number of years thus appears to be a winning concept.
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