Why electric cars depreciated the way they did.

What happened, in plain terms

Early premium EVs took the sharpest hit — the Jaguar I-Pace is the clearest example of a car that arrived before the market was ready for it.

Several things arrived at once. New-car prices were adjusted downward by some manufacturers, which pulls used values with them immediately. Supply of used electric cars increased sharply as early lease and PCP contracts ended. And buyer confidence about battery longevity was still forming.

The result was a market re-pricing rather than a gradual curve — which is precisely why a valuation from a few months earlier could be substantially wrong.

What held value better

• Longer-range variants, consistently — range is a second owner's first question
• Cars with a narrow but committed audience — the Polestar 2 and Mustang Mach-E both behave this way
• Cars with meaningful battery warranty remaining
• Models with a reputation for real-world range matching the claim
• Heat-pump equipped cars, with buyers who understand winter range
• Scarce body styles with few alternatives — seven seats, estates, vans-turned-MPVs

What it means for deciding when to sell

Waiting is a decision with a price. Depreciation continues in the background, and on a car worth £25,000 even a moderate annual rate is hundreds of pounds a month. Put a number on it.

The useful questions are specific rather than general: how far are you from the end of a finance agreement, how much warranty remains, and is your particular variant currently scarce or plentiful. Anyone offering a confident forecast for the whole market is guessing.