A new EV verification service that lets Brits check the history of second-hand EVs has launched from ClearWatt.

EV Check Plus service provides an estimate of the battery range of the EV, alongside a full suite of checks

The consumer- and fleet-facing EV Check Plus service provides an estimate of the battery range of the EV, alongside a full suite of checks on the history and legal obligations surrounding the vehicle.

It uses a dataset based on thousands of real-world tests performed on EVs. If buyers want to benchmark a car’s performance and check its battery health after purchase, ClearWatt also offers an app-based tool to do this.

EV Check Plus comprises a report – costing from £7.99 per vehicle check – which is generated from proprietary research and information available from the reg plate and offers insight from three key areas: range and performance, practicality and ownership, and vehicle history and legal.

The product follows on from ClearWatt’s battery health testing app, created with financial support from Department for Transport (DfT), which allows consumers and businesses to test battery range and battery health using only a smartphone.

Patrick Cresswell, co-founder and managing director of ClearWatt, commented: “It’s a great time to buy a second-hand EV, as tens of thousands of cars sold early in the pandemic to leasing companies are now hitting the market. But we know potential purchasers are often worried about the range and real life performance of second-hand EVs, and rigorous benchmarking is hard to find. That’s why we launched EV Check Plus, so that prospective car buyers can quickly compare, contrast and uncover insights across the whole market of used EVs.”

Patrick Cresswell, co-founder and MD of ClearWatt

ClearWatt was founded in 2021 after the founders realised there was less information available on EV battery health for EVs than for laptops, despite the stakes being materially higher.

Cresswell, with more than a decade of experience in the EV and automotive industries, said the business is working to make the second-hand EV market more transparent, which is key to reaching widespread EV adoption.

“With our technology the risk of inadvertently buying a problematic EV is reduced, allowing more and more people to confidently take the plunge and buy a used electric vehicle,” he concluded.