Assessing the Market for Used Electric Vehicles in California

The secondary market for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) will play a critical role in decarbonizing transportation and in bringing ZEVs to lower income populations. Yet research into this market remains limited. Thus, in this study, the characteristics of the used ZEV market, its buyers, and the sources and destinations of used ZEVs were explored. The flows of secondhand, pre-owned, or “used” ZEVs in California were quantified by analyzing vehicle registration and transfer information from the Department of Motor Vehicles from 2016 to 2020. Descriptive statistics were used to examine this market, and the sources and destinations of used ZEVs were modeled using linear regression. Several key trends became evident. First, plug-in hybrids appear to be entering the used market at higher rates than battery electric vehicles. Second, there was a net gain of used ZEVs into disadvantaged communities over the study period. Finally, the number of households in the highest income brackets and land use types play a significant role in which census tracts are sources and destinations for used ZEVs. While the highest income bracket does not seem to play a substantive role in either side of the market, the next three income brackets serve to both generate and procure used ZEVs.