The Detroit Free Press reports electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt aren't maintaining the same residual values as their internal combustion counterparts.
Kelly Blue Book says the 2012 Nissan Leaf will hold around 20 percent of its value after five years while the Nissan Sentra will retain around 30 percent of its value. KBB predicts the Volt, meanwhile, will be worth 30 percent of its MSRP after the same amount of time, which is a full eight percent less than the 2013 Chevrolet Cruze. On average, a used car is expected to hold 36.6 percent of its value after five years, according to ALG.
Of course, those figures shift a bit when the $7,500 federal tax credit on EVs is taken into account. Since the cash lowers the new-car price for the Leaf and the Volt, the credit can actually make the vehicles worth less as a used car on a percentage of original value basis.
Kelly Blue Book says the 2012 Nissan Leaf will hold around 20 percent of its value after five years while the Nissan Sentra will retain around 30 percent of its value. KBB predicts the Volt, meanwhile, will be worth 30 percent of its MSRP after the same amount of time, which is a full eight percent less than the 2013 Chevrolet Cruze. On average, a used car is expected to hold 36.6 percent of its value after five years, according to ALG.
Of course, those figures shift a bit when the $7,500 federal tax credit on EVs is taken into account. Since the cash lowers the new-car price for the Leaf and the Volt, the credit can actually make the vehicles worth less as a used car on a percentage of original value basis.
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