Who Is Buying Used Electric Trucks?
Mr. Chang's company sells both new and used new-energy trucks, with Shaanxi Auto as one of its main brands, along with vehicles from SANY and XCMG.
The company previously operated its own transportation fleet. In 2024, it operated around 50 battery-electric trucks, mainly on short-haul routes within Shanxi and surrounding areas, generally within about 500 kilometers.
Most of its trucks used 323 kWh batteries, with several larger-battery models added later.
Having operated the trucks itself has also helped the company understand what buyers need.
"We operated the trucks ourselves first. Once the operating costs proved competitive, many customers came to see the vehicles before making a purchase," Mr. Chang said.
According to him, the main buyers of used electric heavy trucks are individual drivers and small fleets. Large logistics companies tend to purchase new trucks because of tax benefits and financing options.
For smaller operators with limited capital, used electric trucks provide a lower-cost entry point into electric transportation.
In the local market, mainstream used battery-electric heavy trucks are currently selling for around RMB 220,000–230,000. Mr. Chang said his company sold more than 300 used new-energy trucks last year and had already sold more than 100 by the time of the interview this year.
The market, therefore, is increasingly less about whether there are buyers and more about whether dealers can find the right vehicles.
What Makes a Used Electric Truck Easy to Sell?
Price is not the only consideration.
Mr. Chang said buyers mainly focus on battery capacity and price, followed by vehicle condition, mileage, brand reputation, and after-sales support.
Battery capacity has become one of the most important screening factors.
"We generally don't take trucks with batteries below 400 kWh," he said.
The reason is not that smaller-battery trucks cannot handle short-haul operations. The problem is that they may require more frequent charging.
With off-peak electricity, a larger-battery truck may run for more than a day or even a day and a half after a full charge. A truck with a battery in the 300 kWh range may need to recharge twice a day in some operating conditions.
More charging means more waiting time, fewer trips, and potentially lower daily income.
"Charging a 350 kWh truck twice a day is inconvenient," Mr. Chang said. "Larger-battery trucks definitely have stronger residual value. Trucks with batteries around 200 kWh are already difficult to sell."
Battery Health Is Not Always the Biggest Concern
Interestingly, used truck dealers may not focus heavily on battery test reports for relatively new vehicles from major battery manufacturers.
For trucks using batteries from mainstream suppliers such as CATL, Gotion, or EVE Energy, with one or two years of service and mileage below around 200,000 km, dealers may pay more attention to accident history and mileage than battery cycle counts.
The reason is that many used electric trucks currently on the market are still relatively young, and their batteries remain within the manufacturer's warranty period, which can often extend several years.
Instead, accident history, brand market share, spare-parts availability, after-sales service, and whether a model has been discontinued can have a greater impact on resale.
"If a brand has very little market share, it is difficult. After-sales service and spare parts become a problem," Mr. Chang said.
Discontinued or less popular models can still be traded, but usually only when the purchase price is low enough to compensate for the higher resale risk.
Depreciation Is Driven by Demand
Residual value has always been a major concern in the electric commercial vehicle market.
Based on Mr. Chang's experience, a battery-electric heavy truck may depreciate by around RMB 80,000 during its first year. However, he emphasized that this is not a fixed formula.
Ultimately, depreciation depends on downstream demand.
"Demand is high now, so depreciation is relatively low. If demand falls in the future, depreciation will increase," he explained.
This means the same electric truck can have very different resale values in different regions.
Markets with strong short-haul transportation demand and high electric truck adoption, such as parts of Shanxi and Hebei, may offer better liquidity. In regions where electric trucks have limited applications, traditional used-truck dealers may have little interest in buying them.
This is one of the biggest differences between used electric trucks and conventional diesel trucks: electric commercial vehicles are highly dependent on specific operating scenarios rather than being universally liquid across the country.
Financing May Be the Next Major Challenge
For Mr. Chang, financing-not batteries or sales-is currently one of the biggest challenges facing the used electric commercial vehicle market.
New trucks can often access financing programs supported by manufacturers, while used electric trucks generally rely more heavily on third-party financial companies.
This matters because individual drivers and small fleets, who make up a large share of used electric truck buyers, often need financing to complete the purchase.
If a used truck still has an outstanding loan, the transaction may also require additional steps such as loan settlement, lien release, and new financing.
As more electric commercial vehicles enter their replacement and resale cycles, the used market is expected to grow.
The companies that can effectively solve vehicle inspection, valuation, financing, ownership transfer, and after-sales service may be best positioned to capture the next wave of demand in the used electric truck market.
