Leasing a used electric car, is it worth it and what should you check?

A used EV can make an excellent company car. On one condition: it must suit the way the business actually uses it. Not the range shown in the brochure, the manufacturer’s claims or a vague plan to install a charger “at some point”.

The case is easiest to make for businesses operating locally. A service technician covering 80–150 km a day, a sales representative working within one city, a design practice with private parking or a delivery company running predictable routes can make genuine savings on energy and maintenance. But if the car regularly covers 500 km on the motorway and the driver has nowhere to charge overnight, even an attractive monthly payment will not compensate for choosing the wrong powertrain.

This is not about being green. It is about the numbers.

Start with where you will charge

Where the car is charged matters more than the badge on its bonnet. A vehicle plugged into a company wallbox overnight has a very different cost profile from the same model relying on rapid chargers along the motorway.

Consider a simple example. The car averages 18 kWh per 100 km and covers 20,000 km a year. At an illustrative electricity price of PLN 1.10 per kWh, the annual energy cost is around PLN 3,960. If most of that electricity comes from rapid chargers priced at PLN 2.50 per kWh, the figure rises to roughly PLN 9,000.

For comparison, a petrol car consuming 7 litres per 100 km, with fuel at PLN 6.50 per litre, will use around PLN 9,100 worth of petrol each year. The EV’s cost advantage has almost disappeared.

Charging tariffs change, and some operators offer subscription plans, so calculate the cost using your own routes before signing an agreement. Not an average found online. If the business has solar panels, its own charging point or access to a cheaper overnight tariff, the numbers usually start to look much better.

The battery does not have to be perfect. It does have to be tested

When buying a used diesel, you ask about the turbocharger, DPF and gearbox. In an EV, the traction battery deserves most of the attention. Mileage alone tells you surprisingly little about its condition.

Two cars with 80,000 km on the clock may have batteries in very different states. One may have spent most nights charging at 11 kW and covered short urban journeys. The other may have been used for long-distance driving, relied heavily on rapid charging and regularly sat with the battery at 100%.

The basic measure is State of Health, or SoH. Put simply, it indicates how much of the battery’s original capacity remains. The figure shown on the car’s display is not always enough. A proper diagnostic check should assess individual modules, high-voltage system faults, charging history and voltage differences between cells.

An SoH of 90% is not a problem. Even 82–85% may be acceptable in a car that covers a short, predictable route each day. The price must reflect the reduced range, however. Otherwise, you are paying full-value money for a vehicle with noticeably limited usability.

The manufacturer’s battery warranty also needs checking. Many brands provide cover for eight years or 160,000 km, but limits and conditions vary. The original registration date, minimum retained capacity and documented servicing may all affect a claim. Do not assume every battery fault will automatically be repaired free of charge.

The advertised range is only the start of the conversation

A claimed WLTP range of 400 km does not mean the car will deliver 400 km on every Monday morning in January. In winter, energy use rises because of cabin heating, a cold battery, winter tyres and poorer road conditions. On the motorway, speed is the biggest enemy.

A Volkswagen ID.3 with the 58 kWh battery, Hyundai Kona Electric 64 kWh, Kia e-Niro or Tesla Model 3 can work well for a company whose drivers split their time between city traffic and journeys between offices. The exact battery version matters, though. The model name alone is not enough. Smaller-battery variants are also common on the used market, and their winter motorway range can be much more modest.

The Nissan Leaf needs separate consideration. It is simple, widely available and often attractively priced, but older versions use the CHAdeMO connector, which is becoming less convenient on European charging networks. It may still be a sensible local runabout. For frequent long-distance business trips, it would not be my first choice.

With a Renault Zoe, check not only the battery’s condition but also who owns it. The batteries in some older cars were supplied under a separate rental agreement. A vehicle with an unclear battery ownership position is best avoided.

What else should you inspect?

An EV has fewer conventional combustion-engine components, but it is not maintenance-free. The suspension, air-conditioning, wheel bearings, tyres and brakes still wear out. The combination of substantial weight and instant torque can accelerate tyre wear, particularly when drivers make frequent use of full acceleration.

Brakes may be used less because regenerative braking handles much of the deceleration. That sounds positive, but the discs on a city car can corrode through lack of use. During an inspection, check their condition rather than looking only at the remaining pad thickness.

The underside of the car and the battery casing also require close inspection. A deep dent caused by striking an obstacle is not merely cosmetic. Diagnostics should cover both AC and DC charging as well. A faulty onboard charger may leave the car unable to use certain charging points or restrict it to a lower charging rate.

Also check:

• whether the car has a heat pump and whether it works correctly,

• its maximum AC and DC charging rates,

• whether the charging cables are included,

• whether the app works and the user account can be transferred,

• its accident history, particularly any damage involving the floor or high-voltage system,

• access to a workshop familiar with that specific model.

That final point becomes especially relevant with rare variants and cars imported from outside Europe. A low purchase price is little comfort if a replacement part takes three months to arrive.

Will lower servicing costs offset depreciation?

An EV does not need engine oil, a fuel filter, a clutch or a timing belt. Routine servicing is generally simpler. You will still need to budget for tyres, brake fluid, air-conditioning maintenance, insurance and potential electronic repairs.

The biggest unknown is often the car’s value at the end of the agreement. Used EV prices can react sharply to price cuts on new models, advances in battery technology and changes to government incentive schemes. A car bought today for PLN 100,000 may not depreciate at the same rate as a comparable petrol model.

This is why the monthly payment should not be viewed in isolation. A high final purchase price can reduce the monthly commitment but leave the company facing an expensive car at the end of the lease. A low initial payment protects cash flow but increases the monthly instalment. It is sensible to compare at least two structures: one designed for eventual ownership and another that makes it easier to change the car after 24–36 months.

Operating lease payments in Poland are usually quoted net of VAT. The actual VAT treatment and tax-deductible costs depend on how the vehicle is used and the company’s circumstances, so the finance calculation should be reviewed alongside advice from your accountant.

Which businesses genuinely benefit?

The strongest candidate is a business with a fixed parking location, reliable access to charging and consistent daily mileage. That could be a local installer covering 100 km a day, a sales representative working within one metropolitan area or a company using the car for journeys between nearby sites.

With electric vans such as the Peugeot e-Partner, Citroën ë-Berlingo or Renault Kangoo E-Tech, the calculation also needs to account for payload, temperature and heating use. A range figure recorded with an empty van will not reflect a winter route completed with a full load. Even so, an electric van can work very well for urban deliveries when it returns to the depot every evening.

I would not recommend an EV to a business whose drivers park on the street without charging access, regularly cover long motorway distances and cannot plan charging stops. In that situation, a hybrid or an efficient diesel will simply be more convenient. No ideology required.

Calculate the payment, but calculate your route first

A good used EV should have a documented history, a properly tested battery, a European charging connector and enough real-world range to leave a sensible winter margin. Only then should you choose the agreement term, initial payment and final purchase amount.

The Carmore calculator shows how changing these parameters affects the net monthly lease payment. You can compare 24-, 36-, 48- and 60-month terms and see whether the finance fits the company’s budget.

If a bank has already declined your lease application or requested an initial payment that would put too much pressure on cash flow, speak to a Carmore adviser. A rejection does not mean every transaction can be financed, but there may be another way to assess the application, a lower-priced vehicle to consider or an agreement structure that fits the business more closely.

Numbers first. Decision second.

Images (manufacturer press materials)

• Volkswagen ID.3 connected to a company wallbox, opening image showing a realistic overnight charging scenario; source: official Volkswagen press centre.

• Hyundai Kona Electric or Kia e-Niro driving in winter conditions, illustration of how temperature affects range; source: official Hyundai or Kia media library.

• Nissan Leaf at a rapid charger, image for the section on the CHAdeMO standard and route planning; source: official Nissan press centre.

• Peugeot e-Partner carrying goods on an urban delivery route, example of an EV used by a local business; source: official Stellantis/Peugeot media library.

• Battery platform or cutaway image of the battery in a Volkswagen ID.3, Hyundai Kona Electric or Renault Megane E-Tech, supporting material for the technical section on battery diagnostics; use official manufacturer press assets only and comply with the stated terms for editorial use.