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Teslas for sale at a CarMax dealership. (Photo by Kevin Carter\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n Getty Images<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Used electric vehicles are hot. Demand is up. My Bolt EV is a great example. <\/p>\n Only six months ago it was all doom and gloom for EVs after the Trump Administration ended the $7,500 tax credit in September and gas prices eased. But everything changed in February when gas prices spiked in the wake of U.S.-Iran hostilities. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen gas prices started climbing in March, we saw used EV listing views on our platform increase by 49% between the beginning of March and mid-May,\u201d said Kevin Roberts, Director of Economic and Market Intelligence for CarGurus<\/a>, an automotive research and shopping website.<\/p>\n Cox Automotive is seeing similar trends. Used EV sales in the U.S. reached 42,080 units in April, up 16.7% year over year, Cox said on its website<\/a>. \u201cTesla again led with 16,174 units sold through non-Tesla dealers, followed by Hyundai, Chevrolet, Ford and BMW,\u201d Cox said. <\/p>\n Some of the models seeing the biggest price increases between January 31 and May 31 include, according to CarGurus: <\/p>\n *I added the Bolt EV to the other numbers provided by CarGurus\u2019 Kevin Roberts. The Tesla Model S and Model X were discontinued, giving a boost to used sales. <\/sup><\/p>\n \u201cWith gas prices staying high, that interest is translating to sales. Our May vehicle demand data shows used EV sales are up 29% year over year, with growth accelerating through March and April,” said Roberts. “That, in turn, has translated to rising prices for used EVs. Used EV prices have also risen nearly 10% since February to an average of $37.9K as shoppers have snagged the more affordable models,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n A year ago, when I first tried to sell my 2021 Chevy Bolt EV it was bleak. I was \u2013 at least from my perspective \u2013 getting lowballed right and left. By dealers. By CarMax. So, I gave up. Besides, I thought, it\u2019s a great car: battery-efficient, lightweight compared to a lot of the land-yacht electrics out there, small (easy to park and maneuver), and well-built and problem-free. <\/p>\n Well, as it turns out, that\u2019s what makes the Bolt a great car in June 2026 too. Bolt EV prices have shot up too<\/a>. Prices for 2020 Chevy Bolts, for example, have jumped 24% over the last 90 days, according to CarGurus\u2019 price chart. Now I have to swat away generous offers like flies from dealers. My latest offer from CarMax is $1,000 more than it was a month ago. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n A used EV, even with rising prices, is still a great deal over the long run. Last month, I spent a week at my father\u2019s retirement community trying to educate residents about EVs. The argument is pretty simple: less maintenance (the only maintenance I do on the Bolt is tire rotation), free energy (through regenerative braking<\/a>), \u201cfill-ups\u201d (recharge) that cost about 25% of a gas car, fast acceleration (aka torque), zero pollution (you can start an EV in the garage in the winter with the door closed and you won\u2019t die of carbon monoxide poisoning), and silent (my favorite aspect of an EV). My speeches, however, fell on deaf ears mostly. Some people just can\u2019t wrap their heads around EVs and still see them as an exotic, untested technology.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n I buy a new car every five or six years. For lots of reasons. I\u2019ve seen EVs take on increasingly aggressive upgrade cycles, not unlike a smartphone. Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid vehicles are often referred to as \u201csoftware-defined.\u201d Which means upgrades are increasingly based on chips and software needed to run AI-based automated driving. In short, many EVs are fast becoming an AI computer on wheels. I don\u2019t want to get left behind. That said, the Bolt is a great car for a first-time EV buyer or an EV buyer on a budget. I just happen to live at the cutting edge of EV technology and thus the \u201cupgrade.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/section>\nHottest Used EVs<\/h2>\n
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My Bolt EV: From Getting Lowballed To Getting Great Offers<\/h2>\n
The Beauty Of An EV<\/h2>\n
Why Am I Selling? Technology Upgrade Cycle<\/h2>\n
One Salient Downside: Insurance<\/h2>\n