We recently took some time out the visit the team in Hutton & Meade to view their vast array of used electric vehicles now ready for new owners. Hutton & Meade was established in 1994 on Dublin’s North Circular road but outgrew the premises in 2006, forcing a move to a new purpose-built 26-vehicle showroom based in Blanchardstown. As a Hyundai main dealer, Hutton & Meade has been able to enjoy the fast-paced success of the various models here in Ireland and helped secure the brand many months on top of Irish registration figures. With the move to electrified mobility continuing at pace, we are now seeing the first real tranche of used four to five-year-old Hyundai’s coming back for resale as quality-approved used electric vehicles.

To learn more about the used side of the business we spoke with Nigel Brennan who is the General Manager at Hutton & Meade with over 20 years experience in the motoring trade. His insight was fascinating and he explained that now more than ever is a time for education and understanding the facts about used EV’s. In an effort to do this, Hutton & Meade have an internal Drive Electric initiative with unique branding on used electric vehicles. We asked Nigel what this was designed to achieve.

Nigel Brennan commented:

The logic behind this was to create different branding surrounding our used electric vehicles to empower people to ask us questions. Knowledge is key and the only silly question is the one you never asked! We want people to see the branding and question “What is Drive Electric?” This in turn is a conversation starter where we can assess their motoring needs and better educate people with real used EV knowledge! We want people to ask us about servicing needs, what is a heat pump, vehicle range, warranty remaining, etc. We encourage anyone that enters the Hutton & Meade showroom to ask as many questions as they like!

This honest approach is welcome and whilst in Nigel's company we were keen to get his thoughts on a number of key questions that all at Nevo, felt important to ask.

First of all Nigel, how are the sales of used EV’s currently?

Sales are pretty good at present. If you take it that typically 20% of Hyundai’s sold this year have been electric then we are confident stating that on the used car side, we are selling 10% in electric vehicles. So for argument's sake, if we move 250 used vehicles in the first four months of the year, 25 would have been used electric perhaps four to five years old.

What type of mileage are EV’s typically coming back to you with?

It varies really but anywhere between 80,000km and 120,000km would be around the norm. The battery will still be under the 8-year warranty period and we put a fresh 2-year warranty on all used EV’s for the new owner.

How does the battery health fair out on a used Hyundai and can you issue any kind of report?

So this is something we are focusing on more and more. We can run a check through our internal Hyundai diagnostics and we are finding cars with 100,000 plus kilometres are still returning 93% battery life remaining. This offers real peace of mind and we want to get behind this. Of course, battery health is indicative of how it was charged and if an EV was consistently charged using fast chargers, we might see a drop in battery life percentage but typically most people only use the fast chargers when stuck or planning to do longer journeys on a motorway. We are confident Hyundai batteries are holding up very strong even in early Ionic and Kona models and are still covered under the initial 8-year warranty.

Understanding the vehicle maintenance needs and service schedule also plays a big factor?

We can’t stress the importance of taking your EV in for servicing in accordance with the recommended ownership guidelines. Modern electric vehicles tell you when, and what they need and those dash lights should never be ignored. When someone comes to trade a vehicle in with Hutton & Meade, it’s the first thing we look for. Was it serviced in line with the manufacturer's guidelines and have the updates, when needed, been carried out? These simple updates can improve performance, efficiency, and safety features. Whilst typically there are fewer moving parts in your electric vehicle it still has brakes, tyres, wipers, and fluids that can’t be overlooked. Even coolant for example, is used in the car’s thermal management system to help maintain a constant temperature for the battery. Naturally, all used EV’s get a service and full health check before they reach our showroom.

Finally Nigel, what are the benefits of buying a used electric vehicle in your view?

Well aside from the fact that they are pleasant to drive, purchasing a used EV might surprise you with the savings that can be achieved. A recent internal study showed us that the cost to change out of an 8-year-old Ford Focus and jump into a 4-year-old Hyundai Kona for under €20k, could be swallowed up in running costs alone. With the initial depreciation already removed from the used Kona the savings to be made for someone getting out of an older combustion-powered vehicle on fuel, tax, maintenance, etc could be sizeable. It is worth running the numbers!

We want to thank Nigel and all the team at Hutton & Meade for their time and urge you to drop by to not just view the current used electric vehicle stock but to also ask questions! Let the team help you to understand the total cost of ownership, including insurance, maintenance, and charging costs, to ensure that the used EV fits within your budget and needs.