Vehicle Remarketing Logo

EVs Facing Heavier Depreciation than Gasoline Counterparts

Smaller cars have experienced heavier depreciation over the past 12-18 months, but it’s the small mainstream electric vehicles that are experiencing even heavier valuation drops.

by Staff
August 14, 2015
EVs Facing Heavier Depreciation than Gasoline Counterparts

GOYLE

2 min to read


Black Book recently looked at the prices of a new Nissan LEAF vs. Nissan Versa; a Mitsubishi i-MiEV vs. Mitsubishi Lancer; Ford Focus Electric vs. Ford Focus; and a Chevrolet Volt vs. Chevrolet Cruze.

The electric car premium over a counterpart gasoline model for mainstream brands has pretty much disappeared for used vehicles from an average premium of $16,600 for new vehicles. In fact, in a few cases, a used electric model now costs less than its gasoline counterpart.

Ad Loading...

GOYLE

"On several of today's popular electric vehicles (EVs), the depreciation curve is very steep, largely driven by lack of consumer demand preferences for fuel-efficient models with current price of gas," said Anil Goyal, VP of Automotive Valuation and Analytics for Black Book. "Smaller cars have experienced heavier depreciation over the past 12-18 months, but it’s clear that the small mainstream electric vehicles are experiencing even heavier valuation drops."

Black Book Valuation Data on EVs vs. Gasoline Counterparts

(2012 New vs. Used)

Vehicle

2012 NEW Equipped Retail

Electric Premium

Effective Retail After Federal Incentive

Nissan Leaf SV 4D Hatchback

$36,380

$20,287

$28,880

Nissan Versa SL 4D Hatchback

$19,320


$19,320





Mitsubishi i-Miev ES 4D Hatchback

$29,125

$19,887

$21,625

Mitsubishi Lancer ES 4D Hatchback

$19,720


$19,720





Ford Focus Electric 4D Hatchback

$40,387

$9,405

$32,887

Ford Focus SE 4D Hatchback

$20,500


$20,500





Chevrolet Volt 4D Hatchback

$40,431

$17,060

$32,931

Chevrolet Cruze LT 4D Sedan

$20,144


$20,144


* Used Value as Percent of New Effective Retail after Federal Incentive

Vehicle

2012 Used Avg (7/15/15)

Electric Premium

Three-Year Retention*

Nissan Leaf SV 4D Hatchback

$7,400

($900)

26%

Nissan Versa SL 4D Hatchback

$8,300


43%





Mitsubishi i-Miev ES 4D Hatchback

$5,350

($3,100)

25%

Mitsubishi Lancer ES 4D Hatchback

$8,450


43%





Ford Focus Electric 4D Hatchback

$10,250

$1,150

31%

Ford Focus SE 4D Hatchback

$9,100


44%





Chevrolet Volt 4D Hatchback

$10,500

$650

32%

Chevrolet Cruze LT 4D Sedan

$9,850


49%

* Used Value as Percent of New Effective Retail after Federal Incentive

More Operations

Image of three award winners at 2026 CAR
Operationsby Faith HowellMay 6, 2026

2026 CAR Awards Celebrate Industry Excellence

CAR’s annual Fleet Remarketing Awards opened a reimagined 2026 conference designed to bridge the worlds of fleet management and automotive remarketing.

Read More →
Collage of CAR speakers
Used Vehicle Valuesby Chris BrownApril 27, 2026

CAR2026 in Two Words: Velocity, Value (Part 1)

The 2026 Conference of Automotive Remarketing convened with a mandate to involve a new constituency — fleet managers — and an updated mission to demonstrate unrealized value in de-fleeted vehicles.

Read More →
Graphic promoting CAR 2026 roundtables featuring headshots of five speakers and topics including Wall Street trends, fleet data, upfits, fair market value, and AI in remarketing.
Operationsby Chris BrownMarch 31, 2026

CAR 2026: Get the Wall Street Update on the Key Players in Remarketing

From a Wall Street analyst's take on remarketing's key players to whether fleets need their own version of Carfax, CAR 2026's afternoon roundtables will answer key operational and industry questions.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Promotional graphic for CAR 2026 panel on data-driven value in commercial vehicles, featuring five industry experts and session details for April 16 in Cleveland.
Fleetby Chris BrownMarch 31, 2026

CAR 2026 Session to Uncover the Missing Data That's Costing Fleets at Disposal

Work trucks lose value at remarketing, not because they aren't worth more, but because the data to prove it rarely makes it to the auction.

Read More →
A rental car rolling through a UVeye overhead vehicle inspection terminal.
Operationsby News/Media ReleaseMarch 13, 2026

TSD Mobility, UVeye Partner On Automated Vehicle Inspections

The enhanced technology allows rental car operations, dealerships, and auctions to compare a vehicle’s condition at pickup and drop-off within the same rental or loaner record.

Read More →
Graphic promoting a CAR 2026 conference session showing four speaker headshots above the title “What Really Moves Vehicle Value Now — And What Doesn’t” with automotive conference branding
Operationsby Chris BrownMarch 11, 2026

CAR 2026: What Really Moves Vehicle Value Now — And What Doesn’t

A panel at the 2026 Conference of Automotive Remarketing will examine how resale value is created across the vehicle lifecycle and which traditional remarketing practices still deliver ROI.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
A collage of two photos of day cab trucks above a checklist for maximizing resale values.
Used Vehicle ValuesMarch 1, 2026

How To Maximize TCO and Resale Value in Day Cab Fleets

Smart operational and spec'ing decisions can dramatically improve both the total cost of ownership during use and the resale value when it's time to remarket day cabs.

Read More →
Image of rows of cars and a shopping cart.
Used Vehicle Valuesby Chris BrownMarch 1, 2026

How to Drive Better Returns on De-Fleeted Vehicles in 2026

Smart remarketing begins before vehicles enter the fleet, and is built on strong data and stronger FMC partnerships.

Read More →
Summary table of January auction sales report.
Used Vehicle Valuesby News/Media ReleaseFebruary 9, 2026

Auction Sales Kick Off 2026 In High Step

Winter snowstorms and frosty freeze-overs could not slow down the hot vehicle auction action nationwide in January.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Arun Rajagopalan's, CEO and co-founder of Motorq, headshot is placed above text about the 2026 CAR conference.
Operationsby Chris BrownFebruary 6, 2026

CAR 2026: Rethinking Vehicle Valuation Through Health Data

How can vehicle-sourced performance data change the way fleets assess condition, time de-fleets, and set remarketing expectations? A seminar at the 2026 Conference of Automotive Remarketing (CAR) has answers.

Read More →