10:57 am, September 14, 2026
We all know there are used car dealers out there who avoid second-hand EVs like the plague.
Whether it be high end performance models or budget superminis, for some, electric cars are just not worth the hassle.
But which models are dealers right to avoid and which ones should they actually consider selling as the industry looks towards a greener future?
For Drive Green founder Richard Norris, it is a case of knowing what issues to look out for.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Car Dealer Podcast, the EV specialist warned dealers to be careful about what EV they buy and revealed the brands even he won’t touch.
‘There are some that don’t fully stack up,’ he told hosts Jon Reay and James Baggott. ‘We have what we call a naughty list, which does evolve and vary a little.
‘The Volkswagen Group are dreadful. I think as we see more stats come out, they align with ours, and actually I think they’re giving JLR a run for their money in terms of being the least reliable vehicles and full of problems.
‘The ID.3 and ID.4 are great, very popular product lines for consumers, but they are full of problems. They’re the same problems, so what you find is that you get a lot of cars with the same issues.
‘For a whole year we didn’t stock anything that was Volkswagen while they sorted out all the problems.
‘Not only is there a problem if all your cars have got problems, but there’s a big queue getting them fixed, and for a dealer that’s an enormously painful place to be.
‘Equally, for a consumer as well, if your car’s broken and you’re waiting nine months to get it looked at, that’s not a great experience.
‘Stellantis have been the same for periods of time. It’s strange, really, because you seem to get a lot more problems at the start, then you get a nice sweet spot in between, and then perhaps a new layer of problems starts to evolve a bit further down the line.
‘You just have to watch what’s happening at that time. You have to evolve, you have to move with it.’
Norris was also critical of the Jaguar I-Pace, despite describing it as one of the best electric cars to drive.
‘Talking of brands that I will never stock again, it’s the Jaguar I-Pace,’ he said. ‘Of all the EVs out there, that is by far the best car to drive. The Porsches have got nothing on it. It is a fantastic driver’s car.
‘However, it’s extremely unreliable and seems to have loads of problems. From a dealer’s point of view, when you know how you’re dealing with them and you know how to push JLR to sort things out, that’s great.
‘But any consumer, any problem at all, it seems that they’ll say it’ll cost us for a diagnosis. But before we’ve even done that, it’s going to cost you £11,000 to get it fixed.
‘That’s what customers are dealing with. Ultimately, you can get through it, but it just isn’t worth it. And it is a crying shame, because that’s a great car.’
On the flip side, the 54-year-old says that he has enjoyed success from the likes of the Kia Niro and Hyundai Kona, as well as his long-term best-seller: The Renault Zoe.
He also named the Zoe as the best sub-£5k used EV for dealers and MG as the most reliable EV brand. He also pointed to South Korean brands like Hyundai and Kia as making the best EV batteries.
‘Our long-term bestseller, ever since we first started, even to now, is the little Renault Zoe,’ Norris said.
‘It offers good value. It’s a nice, compact little car. It’s still kind of practical and makes a brilliant second car.’
He added: ‘The South Korean cars have been very, very good to us over the years.
‘The Niros in particular. The Konas are quite good, depending on where they sit price-wise. They seem to alternate between the two.
‘As Niros are really popular, the price climbs, and then suddenly the Konas seem very good value, and then they’re popular. It goes like that all the time, almost month on month.’
You can watch the full episode at the top of this story or head over to the Car Dealer 2.0 YouTube channel.