EVs retain 90% usable battery after 100,000 miles

Older EVs still retain 90% of their battery capacity after nearly 100,000 miles, a new study has found.

Analysis of 24,000 battery health reports by leasing firm Arval found that after six years or 99,419 miles, the average battery state of health (SoH) was just above 90%, while at 45,000 miles, usable capacity remained at 93%.

The research also found that newer models showed an SoH of two to three points higher than their older counterparts, with a 1% battery drop every 13,670 miles (25,000km).

These results were sourced from 11 European countries, and Arval said the showed that battery degredation is “low, predictable, and far below common misconceptions”. They also backed up previous smaller scale studies.

To prove that battery degradation rates were often inflated, in 2025, ADAC – the German equivalent of the AA – showed that one of its VW ID.3s had lost just eight miles of range after 107,000 miles of hard use by its engineering team.

On the back of the Arval battery report, the brand’s global remarketing director, Pascal Seeger, noted: “This is very good news for used car buyers, who can be confident in the durability and reliability of electric vehicle batteries over the long run.

“By providing consolidated and comparable data, we help remove barriers to buying used electric vehicles and accelerate the development of a more transparent and reliable market.”

Gary Burns, Arval UK’s director of procurement and remarketing, added: “As electric vehicles move into the used market in greater volumes, transparency around battery condition is increasingly important.

“We want our customers to be able to purchase our vehicles with confidence, which is why battery health testing has become a significant part of our remarketing process.

“Encouragingly, the results we’re seeing show that batteries in used electric vehicles stand up well in real-world use, helping to reassure buyers considering this fuel type.”

In 2027, European regulations will introduce a standardised display of battery health known as the SOCE, or ‘State of Certified Energy’.

From that year, new EVs will be required to have a battery passport to track its composition, history and performance data. Kia and Volvo are already exploring how they can benefit from battery passports.

Arval was the first leasing company to offer a battery State of Health certificate when re-selling an EV, and has since issued over 30,000 of them.