How Have Used Electric Car Prices Changed Post–$4,000 Tax Credit?

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I wrote a handful of articles before the US EV tax credits ended pondering what would happen to used EV prices after they were gone, and asking you readers to chime in with your thoughts. We got all kinds of interesting responses. Prices could drop considerably due to the $4,000 used EV tax credit going away, or they could rise because the $7,500 tax credit for new EVs would be gone (pushing more people to the used market, increasing demand), or they could drop due to the rush to buy EVs before October and much more limited demand, or … well, there were plenty of arguments for why they could go up or down. Now it’s time to start doing some comparisons.

Well before the tax credits ended, in late February, I went and searched out some of the best deals I could find on Autotrader. There is no perfect comparison to the cars I found then, since there are at least small differences across every used car — as well as the fact that even cars that are the same model year are now 9 months older. Anyway, though, I tried to find models close to what I had found before. Let’s see how things changed. (I recommend opening the older article next to this one in order to be able to switch back and forth for more comparisons.)

Volkswagen ID.4

Starting with the Volkswagen ID.4, in February I found a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S in my area with 27,844 miles on it for just $21,495. Looking today, here are some similar vehicles I found on Autotrader:

So, this first car has about 20,000 more miles on it, but it is the same trim (Pro S) and year (2021). The cost is $5,000 lower, though.

This one is more similar to the original, as it’s also a 2021 Pro S but it is 10,000 miles closer, actually having almost 10,000 fewer miles on it than the one I found in February. In this case, the price is still lower (despite lower mileage), but just about $1,500 lower.

This option has about 10,000 miles more than the original, but it’s a Pro rather than Pro S trim. (Big difference for buyers? I don’t know, but I doubt it.) The car is almost $5,000 cheaper than the one I found in February! And it also comes with the ID.4 Protection Package.

So, any broad conclusions? Well, you can get some used car options at the moment that have an upfront price that’s several thousand dollars lower than in February. That seems notable.

Hyundai IONIQ 5

Looking at another model, here’s what I wrote in February: “There are a several Hyundai IONIQ 5 options just above $25,000, but if you want that $4,000 tax credit, there’s just one Hyundai IONIQ 5 underneath that price. That would be a 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 SE w/ Cargo Package … with 42,363 miles on it. But, with a price of just $19,995 before the tax credit, that’s a wicked good deal.”

So, what’s available now? Here are three options I found:

This car is the same year as the one I found earlier in 2025, is an SEL instead of an SE, and has 37,000 miles instead of 42,000, among other small differences. But it costs ~$16,000 instead of ~$20,000. That’s basically a straight $4,000 cut!

If we go up a little bit in terms of model year, from 2022 to 2023 — but, admittedly, select a car with about 80 miles less range (but also more than 20,000 fewer miles on it) — we find an option with about the same price as the February find.

And here’s a 2023 model with more range and more miles on the clock but coming in at an even $20,000.

Kia EV6

Last but not least, let’s check out some Kia EV6 options. Here’s what I wrote in February: “I found a few models under $25,000, and several with more miles just above that marker, but here’s the one I’d highlight: 26,090 miles, 2022 Kia EV6 Wind, for just $21,998. Yes, please!”

This 2022 Kia EV6 Wind has a bit more mileage on it and is red, but is otherwise very similar to the original find in February. As it turns out, the price is almost the same as well, costing just about $600 more. That breaks the trend from above of costs coming down, though.

This 2022 EV6 Wind has more miles on it but does come in considerably cheaper, about $3,000 cheaper than the February low-price find.

And here’s another model with about twice as many models as my original find but costing about $2,000 less. Again, it’s also one model year younger, but otherwise very similar.

Last but not least, this car’s price is exactly the same as the one found in February! Differences include: it’s a Light rather than a Wind (meaning 80 fewer miles of range when new), it’s white instead of grey (yay!), and it has about 12,000 fewer miles on the odometer. Hmmm.

What do you think of these used electric vehicle options compared to the February options? And what do you think is coming for this market?