Used EVs Swing From $2,227 Discount to $579 Gas-Car Premium

Recent used electric vehicles crossed a narrow but notable price line in September 2026. One-to-five-year-old EVs averaged $32,533 in reported U.S. transactions, $579 more than the $31,954 average for gasoline vehicles in the same age range. A year earlier, the EV average was $2,227 lower.

That represents a $2,806 reversal in the relative price gap over 12 months. Used-EV prices rose by $2,896, or 9.8%, while the gasoline-vehicle average increased by only $90. For buyers accustomed to hearing about severe EV depreciation and secondhand bargains, the new averages challenge the assumption that a recent used EV will necessarily have a lower purchase price.

The $579 premium is only about 1.8% of the gasoline-vehicle average, however. That makes the crossover more useful as a market signal than as proof that equivalent EVs now cost more across the board.

A large sample with important limits

The analysis covered more than 1.5 million vehicles, giving the averages a substantial base. Its scope was limited to vehicles between one and five years old, excluding much of the generally cheaper older used-car market. The organization that produced the study and its full methodology were not clearly identified, leaving unanswered questions about weighting, regional coverage and vehicle mix.

Model mix is especially important when comparing powertrains. An average that contains a larger share of premium electric crossovers, sedans or trucks can exceed an average drawn from a wider range of inexpensive gasoline models even when directly comparable vehicles tell a different story. Changes in which models entered the used market during the year could also move the category average without producing the same increase for every individual EV.

Age controls help by preventing a five-year-old vehicle from being casually compared with a one-year-old vehicle, but age alone does not control for body style, original price, mileage, condition, equipment or market segment. A $579 category-level difference is small enough that those variables could determine whether a like-for-like comparison favors electricity or gasoline.

Sales strengthened as the price relationship changed

Separate Cox Automotive figures cited by InsideEVs indicate that used-EV activity was rising at the same time. A reported 47,862 used EVs changed hands in September, up 12.3% from August and 21.2% from September 2025. That sales growth supports the view that the transaction-price increase occurred in an active market rather than one defined only by a small number of sales.

Cox data also put the average used-EV listing price at $36,767, down 1.8% from August but 6.2%, or $2,137, above the corresponding gasoline-car average. Listing prices are seller requests, while transaction prices reflect completed retail deals. The different samples and points in the sales process mean the $36,767 listing figure cannot be substituted for the $32,533 transaction average, although both indicators point to an EV premium during September.

Wholesale data add a counterweight. TradeBasis reported that used-EV wholesale values were 2.3% higher year over year in mid-September, while the broader wholesale market was down 1.3%. Over the preceding ten weeks, however, used EVs lost 7.9% of their value compared with a 3.1% decline for the broader market. Faster recent wholesale depreciation could eventually affect retail asking prices and completed-sale prices, but the reported figures do not establish how quickly or fully that movement will reach consumers.

Purchase price is only one ownership-cost input

The crossover also concerns acquisition price, not total cost of ownership. A University of Michigan analysis of used-vehicle ownership costs found that EVs could offer the lowest lifetime costs across vehicle classes. Its example estimated that a three-year-old used electric midsize SUV could save $13,000 over its remaining life compared with a new gasoline midsize SUV. That is a different comparison from September’s used-versus-used transaction averages, but it illustrates why energy, maintenance, vehicle class and remaining service life must be kept separate from the price paid at purchase.

September’s result therefore marks a genuine reversal in the reported averages, not universal price parity between comparable electric and gasoline vehicles. The next meaningful evidence will be whether transaction prices retain their narrow premium as faster wholesale declines move through the retail market and whether a fully disclosed, model-adjusted analysis finds the same crossover.

By Thomas Caldwell — AMI’s senior editor for mechanical and mobility engineering, covering vehicle electronics, systems integration, electrification, chassis systems, propulsion, and safety policy.