Frightened by fuel prices, Europeans are looking for used electric cars

The sharp rise in fuel prices is starting to change the purchasing decisions of European drivers. France is one of Europe’s most mature markets and also one of those hardest hit by rising fuel costs. This market saw a surge in searches for used electric cars on certain websites last Sunday, coinciding with another increase in diesel prices.

The data comes from La Centrale, one of the country’s leading used car portals, and it stems from a fairly simple explanation. When filling up the tank starts to become an expense that’s hard to afford—often costing over 100 euros—in many cases drivers re-evaluate their options and discover that a used electric car can be a much more affordable alternative for daily use. There’s no need to think about buying a new car priced at 40,000 or 50,000 euros: the European market already offers a significant selection of used models at much more reasonable prices.

The French situation is particularly striking because the average diesel price exceeded 2.30 euros per liter on Sunday, September 13th. At that same time, searches for used electric cars on La Centrale increased by 150%. This doesn’t mean all those people ended up buying an electric car, but it does show how quickly energy prices can shift buyers’ interests.

And it doesn’t seem to be an isolated phenomenon. La Centrale itself had already detected a sharp increase in demand for used electric cars during spring. By the end of March, searches had practically doubled, and by the end of May they had risen by more than 250%, while the number of electric vehicles available at dealerships decreased significantly.

The key point is that much of this demand isn’t for new, expensive electric cars, but rather for small, affordable models. According to data published by La Centrale, the interest driven by rising fuel prices is concentrated especially on vehicles worth less than 15,000 euros—precisely those that allow a driver to immediately reduce their monthly expenses without making a huge investment.

This represents a significant difference from the situation that still exists in some European markets. Used electric cars are no longer necessarily an option reserved for those with high budgets. Models such as the Renault ZOE, Peugeot e-208, Dacia Spring, Nissan LEAF, and even the Tesla Model 3 are beginning to appear in a much broader used market, offering options suitable for virtually every budget. La Centrale itself highlighted in April the increase in supply and falling prices as two of the factors making this technology more accessible.

The big question now is how long fuel prices will remain high. If oil prices stabilize again, some of this interest might fade. But if prices stay high for weeks or months, it could accelerate a decision that many European drivers are already considering: switching to an electric car—not necessarily new, but simply one that is cheaper to buy and much less expensive to operate on a daily basis.