The oldest modern mass-market EVs still on the road today are approaching 18 years old if we count from the very first deliveries:

• Tesla Roadster (2008) — the first production EV with lithium-ion batteries, delivered starting in 2008. About 2,450 Roadsters were sold across 30+ countries through December 2012. Surviving examples are now roughly 16–18 years old.
• Mitsubishi i-MiEV (2009) — launched in Japan for fleet customers in July 2009, making it one of the earliest modern production EVs, now about 16–17 years old.
• Nissan Leaf (2010) — the world’s first mass-market electric vehicle, hitting roads in December 2010, with over 500,000 sold globally. The oldest are now about 15–16 years old.
• Tesla Model S (2012) — many early Model S vehicles from 2012 and 2013 have surpassed 200,000 miles while maintaining solid performance.

How Long Does a Battery Pack Last?

Degradation rate: Geotab’s 2025 analysis of over 22,700 electric vehicles found an average battery degradation rate of about 2.3% per year. In practical terms, if an EV is rated for 300 miles, gradual degradation could mean it still delivers roughly 238 miles after 10 years, with variation depending on model, climate, and charging habits.

Expected lifespan: Modern electric car batteries are commonly expected to last around 15–20 years with gradual range loss over time, and many drivers will never need a replacement during the time they own the vehicle.

Replacement rates remain low: Across all years and models, outside of big recalls, under 4% of EV batteries have been replaced — including 10+ year old cars. First-generation EVs (now 14+ years old) have a replacement rate around 8.5%, while second-generation EVs like the early Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3 sit at just 2%.

What shortens battery life most: Frequent DC fast charging (100+ kW) and extreme temperatures are the biggest factors. Regular Level 2 home charging and moderate climates help batteries last longest.

The bottom line is that EV batteries are holding up better than most people initially expected — even the oldest ones from 2008–2010 are mostly still functional, just with noticeably reduced range compared to when they were new.

Used EVs are already arriving in Africa

Twelve thousand electric vehicles came into Zimbabwe from abroad in the second half of 2023 alone, and sub-Saharan Africa has become a kind of graveyard for the world’s old cars, with 40% of worldwide used vehicle exports ending up on the continent. EVs are now part of that stream — though currently still a small fraction, with hybrids dominating over fully electric imports.

The battery problem is real
With an old ICE car, a skilled local mechanic can keep it running almost indefinitely with improvised repairs. EVs are fundamentally different in that respect:

• As electric batteries degrade with use and gradually become obsolete, import of secondhand electric vehicles near the end of their lifespan could potentially invite a massive waste problem for Africa.
• Countries like Zimbabwe and South Africa are ill-equipped to repair failing imported EVs. One Zimbabwean mechanic reported that he has asked a dozen customers to go to car breakers and salvage only the engine and electric motors of their cars — the batteries and other parts end up in landfills as local municipalities lack the basic infrastructure to recycle them.
• Electric drivetrains have fewer moving parts so less can go wrong, but batteries do degrade with use, and gradually lose range and performance.

Several factors suggest old EVs might still find a useful second life in Africa, just differently than old ICE vehicles:

Shorter daily distances may be fine with degraded batteries. A battery that’s lost 30% of its capacity and can only manage 150 km is still perfectly adequate for many urban commuting patterns in African cities. Used EV batteries could retain more than two-thirds of their usable energy storage, which would be sufficient for many emerging market uses.

Dual use as energy storage. For consumers affected by regular power cuts, it may be possible to use electric car batteries to power domestic appliances until grid electricity is restored — which is actually a significant advantage in regions with unreliable power grids.

Electric two- and three-wheelers may matter more than cars. Two-wheelers and three-wheelers are easier to electrify and have more traction in East Africa and other emerging markets due to their affordability, availability, and flexibility.

The biggest concern experts raise is not that old EVs won’t be used in Africa, but that they’ll arrive with nearly dead batteries, be used briefly, and then create an environmental hazard. Even in developed countries, barely 5% of lithium-ion batteries are being recycled due to technical constraints, economic barriers, logistics, and regulatory gaps. The fear is that Africa becomes a dumping ground for end-of-life EV batteries the way it already absorbs end-of-life ICE vehicles.

There’s a real risk that old EVs will be less useful than old ICE cars in the African secondhand market, precisely because a degraded battery can’t be “jerry-rigged” back to life the way a combustion engine can. But it’s not a binary — partially degraded EVs can still serve well for shorter-range urban use, and the economics of used EV exports are expected to follow similar patterns to ICE over time. The critical missing piece is battery repair/recycling infrastructure, without which Africa risks inheriting a new kind of pollution problem alongside the transportation benefit.