Factors Behind the Plummeting Price of Used Electric Cars

KatadataOTO – Electric cars are becoming more widely used, especially heading into 2025. Various manufacturers are increasingly aggressive in bringing new models for consumers.

The rising population of electric cars means used vehicle providers need to be prepared. Because finding a used Electric Vehicle (EV) is no longer a difficult thing.

However, there are complaints from a number of people that the price of used electric cars tends to plummet or drop far from the initial purchase price.

According to OLXmobbi, as one of the used car trading platforms, there are several factors that are the cause.

Photo : OLX Autos

“Car users or owners in Indonesia generally use a car for between three to five years. Electric cars launched (in Indonesia) not long ago; three years ago the models were still very limited,” said Agung Iskandar, Director of OLXmobbi on the sidelines of GIIAS 2025, Friday (25/07).

According to Agung, the average car owner in Indonesia uses a car for a period of three to five years before replacing it with a new unit.

Meanwhile, electric cars in Indonesia are not that old. Only recently have there been more model variations thanks to the presence of a number of manufacturers from China.

Seeing this condition, Agung emphasized that the population of electric cars entering the used car market is still very small.

“Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) are at most only 0.5 percent to 0.7 percent of the total used car leasing in Indonesia and are generally only in big cities like Jakarta, Bandung, and Surabaya. Outside of that, it's still small,” said Agung.

When it comes to environmentally friendly vehicles, Agung revealed that the population of hybrid cars in the used vehicle market is considerably larger.

The small number of electric vehicles in the used car market is said to be one of the reasons people are still reluctant to consider a used BEV.

Photo : OLX Autos

“They say the price has not been firmly established. The current trend is that (manufacturers) are very quick to launch new EV models, with better quality and cheaper prices,” Agung emphasized.

He concluded that it is still too early to see the main cause of the uncertain prices of used electric cars. 

However, there is a chance that the price will become more stable over time as the population and prices of electric cars become more evenly distributed.