8:23 am, July 22, 2026
Used car dealers are backing BYD’s upcoming flash charging technology to be a ‘game changer’ for electric car sales.
That is according to new data from motor finance company Startline, which has found that nine in ten second-hand retailers are hoping the breakthrough will lead to a boom in EV uptake.
BYD’s flash-charging technology can add around 250 miles of range in just five minutes, making EV charging almost as quick as refuelling a petrol or diesel car.
July’s Startline Used Car Tracker shows that 78% of dealers believe that the technology will make charging an electric car as easy as fuelling a petrol or diesel model.
Also, 53% of respondents said that it means a public charger can be used like a petrol pump – queue, fill up and go, while 31% think it makes electric cars accessible to people without space for their own charger.
Very few dealers disagree, with just 3% believing the new type of high-speed charging will be too expensive, and 3% believing the infrastructure needed to make it possible is too complex and unlikely to be widely available anytime soon.
Reacting to the findings, Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: ‘BYD plans to introduce flash charging on some models later this year, claiming to charge from 10-70% of battery capacity in five minutes, backed up with a network of proprietary high-speed chargers.
‘This appears to be a step-change in EV charging and our research shows dealers think consumers will notice and want this technology.
‘Especially, it opens the door to easier EV ownership for people living in terraced houses and apartments who don’t have driveways where their own overnight charger can be installed.’
Elsewhere, the survey showed that 87% of of 60 dealers questioned believe other car makers will be forced to follow BYD’s lead and introduce their own flash charging equivalent.
Burgess said: ‘It is interesting some manufacturers have said they could emulate the BYD approach but don’t think it is ultimately good for range and long-term battery health.
‘We could potentially see a battle between different approaches to battery tech playing out in the EV market.’