By Alex Harrington
Sports Contributing Writer
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Used Tesla prices rose in the months after the US federal clean-vehicle tax credits ended on 30 September 2025, even as the wider used-EV market generally softened, according to iSeeCars.
A buyer would only qualify for federal clean-vehicle purchase credits if the vehicle was, as the IRS say, "placed in service" on or before 30 September. Any purchase after this date and the vehicle wouldn't qualify.
But an early market assessment from the iSeeCars report suggests the removal of the incentive did not land evenly across brands, with Tesla’s used values moving upwards, the opposite of others.
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iSeeCars’ study of 1–5-year-old vehicles shows average used Tesla prices rising 4.3% from the end of September 2025 to January 2026, up to $31,329. Over the same time period, it says used non-Tesla EVs fell about 3.6% on average (excluding the low-volume Porsche Taycan), while used-EV share within 1–5-year-old used vehicles slipped from 3.5% in September to 2.8% in January - a 20% drop. Model-by-model, the Model 3 average used listing price went up by 2.6% and Model Y up 1.3%, alongside larger increases for higher-priced cars, with Model X up 10.3% to above $57,000 and Model S up 8.5% to around $51,000.
Cox Automotive reported 31,503 used EV sales in January 2026, up 21.2% year-on-year and up a staggering 20.8% month-on-month, with used EV share at 2.1%. Tesla led brand this with 12,416 unit sales, ahead of Audi (2,002) and Ford (1,995).
The wholesale market has not been supportive either. Cox’s Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index for January 2026 was reported at 210.5, showing better wholesale performance compared with what the industry enjoyed in late 2025. Recurrent’s Q1 2026 used-EV report, meanwhile, sees the average minimum listing price across tracked used EVs at $29,400 and says 17.9% of used-EV sales in the prior 90 days were under $25,000.
“When looking at which new electric cars have dropped the most in price we see primarily mainstream nameplates from mainstream brands – models that likely relied heavily on the $7,500 credit to spur consumer purchase,” iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer said. “Conversely, higher-priced luxury models targeted at customers who aren’t as price sensitive are the EVs that have gone up the most in price.”
He added:
“The resilience of Tesla pricing in a post-EV-credit world is remarkable, suggesting Tesla buyers remain loyal to the brand, with little reliance on the credit.”
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