China has the deepest pool of second-hand electric vehicles on earth, simply because it has been selling them at scale for longer than anywhere else. For importers that is an opportunity — but a used EV is not a used petrol car, and the thing that determines its value is not the odometer.
Battery state of health is the real mileage
State of health (SoH) expresses the battery pack’s current usable capacity as a percentage of its original capacity. A pack at 90% SoH delivers roughly 90% of the range it did when new. This single figure drives resale value, customer satisfaction and warranty exposure more than any other specification on the vehicle.
Two cars of the same model and year, both showing modest mileage, can have materially different SoH depending on how they were charged and used. Never accept an odometer reading as a proxy.
What degrades a battery
- Frequent DC fast charging. Convenient, but heat is the enemy of cell longevity. A vehicle that lived on rapid chargers will typically show more degradation than one charged slowly at home.
- Sustained high or low state of charge. Packs left at 100% or near empty for long periods age faster than those cycled in the middle of the range.
- Heat. Both ambient climate and charging heat matter, which is why thermal management design differs so much in outcome between models.
- Calendar age. Batteries degrade slowly even when unused. A low-mileage older car is not automatically a better battery.
How to verify it
SoH is read from the battery management system using diagnostic equipment, not estimated from the dashboard range display — which reflects recent driving conditions and is not a health measurement. Ask for a diagnostic report showing the SoH reading, the number of charge cycles where available, and any stored battery-related fault codes. This forms part of the standard checks described in how vehicle inspection works before export.
Chemistry matters for your market
Two chemistries dominate Chinese EVs. Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) is durable, tolerates full charging well and is generally cheaper, but performs less well in very cold conditions. Nickel-based chemistries (NMC) offer higher energy density and better cold-weather behaviour, at higher cost and with somewhat more sensitivity to charging habits.
If you are importing into a cold market, chemistry is a genuine commercial consideration, not a technical footnote.
Charging standards
China uses the GB/T standard. Your market may use CCS2, CCS1, CHAdeMO or NACS. Adapters exist for some combinations but not all, and DC fast charging compatibility is more constrained than AC. Confirm this before ordering — a vehicle your customers cannot conveniently charge is difficult to sell at any price.
Warranty
Manufacturer battery warranties are usually generous in duration, but they are rarely transferable across borders. Assume you are buying without manufacturer battery cover in your market unless you have written confirmation otherwise, and price accordingly.
What to ask for on every used EV
- Battery state of health, from a diagnostic read.
- Charging standard fitted.
- Battery chemistry.
- Any battery or drivetrain fault codes.
- Confirmation of what warranty, if any, applies in your market.
We report SoH on every used EV we inspect. Browse the used cars from China service, or tell us what you are looking for.