A new promise guaranteeing battery health of 90% or above has boosted UK dealers’ confidence and appetite to buy used electric vehicles.

Motability Operations – the company that runs the Motability Scheme – recently launched a pilot scheme through its remarketing platform, mfldirect, inviting dealers to independently test the battery health of any EV purchased.

The trial guaranteed 90% battery life in used electric vehicles and showed improved confidence and consideration of the vehicles – with dealer searches for EVs increasing by 25%.

Addressing the widespread concern among drivers that the battery lifespan of EVs isn’t good enough, Motability Operations, whose scheme provides vehicles to over 860,000 customers, has now made the trial permanent as it warns that battery health remains a key concern among used buyers.

Its recent EV Transition Tracker research found half of drivers who would not consider an EV for their next vehicle said they were worried about battery lifespan. Similarly, three-quarters (74%) of used car dealers in the UK said that battery health matters to retail customers.

The battery life guarantee has gone a long way in tackling this shared concern, giving both dealers and drivers the reassurance they need to buy and sell used EVs with confidence. Since the trial’s launch, 110 dealerships that had previously only purchased petrol or diesel vehicles have bought EVs from mfldirect for the first time.

Motability added that the now permanent policy would support a smoother national transition.

Andrew Miller, CEO at Motability Operations, said: “Battery reliability is one of the biggest sticking points for UK drivers. Our guarantee tackles this hesitancy head on, giving both dealers and consumers the reassurance they need. It’s a simple step that can make a real difference to the growth of the used market and support the UK’s wider EV transition.”

Although new EV prices are beginning to fall, they still remain higher than petrol and diesel models and the used car market will be critical to making the switch to electric more affordable across UK households. This has been flagged by the BVRLA in its #happyEVaftercampaign.

And a wider industry rollout of battery health guarantees would give more drivers the confidence and affordable access to choose an EV.

Labour’s pre-election manifesto included a commitment for the introduction of a standardised battery health check – and many in the industry have urged the Government to implement this as soon as possible.

A study published by Axa UK earlier this year found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of UK motorists have no plans to buy an electric vehicle. Among these, more than a third (37%) say concern over battery lifespan is one of the main reasons.

And BCA has published latest data showing how its EV Battery Grading service is driving confidence among used EV buyers, with uplifts in performance vs guide price, time to sell and EV sale conversion rates since its service launched a year ago,

Motability’s battery pledge has been greeted by the BVRLA, which is running an awareness campaign next week (20-24 October 2025) to promote used electric vehicles and look at where initiatives such as battery health certificates are giving customers confidence in used EVs.

Toby Poston, chief executive at the industry body, said: “The used market holds the key for a healthy and sustainable transition to cleaner, greener vehicles. Every month we see registration figures of new electric vehicles grow, with that high demand feeding the used EV market. Drivers are driven by cost, clarity and confidence. Initiatives such as this represent a big step forward in providing that confidence, enabling more drivers to make the switch and opening up zero-emission motoring to more households.”