The habit that came from petrol
Most importers check three things: the kilometres, the photos, the price. That routine was built for petrol cars, where the engine tells you most of what you need through the service record.
On an electric car the routine skips the only component that sets the resale value. Two 2022 EVs, same model, same mileage, can differ by a fifth of their range. The dashboard looks the same. The photos look the same. The battery does not.
What the line says
Every EV report we issue carries a battery section read directly from the battery management system, not estimated from the range display. The three numbers to read:
- State of health (SOH): remaining capacity as a percentage of new. This is the headline.
- Cell balance: the spread between the strongest and weakest cell group. A wide spread ages faster from here on.
- Stored fault codes: anything the BMS has logged. A clean history is worth more than a high SOH with a warning behind it.
The report is dated and carries the VIN on every page so it cannot be swapped between cars.
What a fleet car looks like
Ride-hailing and rental cars fast-charge every day. On the report that shows as a lower SOH at the same kilometres, a wider cell spread, and a high cycle count. None of this is hidden. It is simply not visible in a listing photo.
A private car with 60,000 km and a fleet car with 60,000 km are different products. Ask for the cycle count and you will see which is which.
Three conditions to write into your order
- A state-of-health floor, stated as a condition of sale. Pick your number and put it on the proforma invoice.
- Report before deposit. The diagnostic scan with VIN and date attached before any money moves.
- Charger port confirmation. A car that cannot charge on your grid is not a car. We put the port type on the invoice for markets like Ethiopia, Laos and Uzbekistan where the standard varies by installer.
Where this matters most
Ethiopia only clears electric imports. Uzbekistan taxes petrol at a rate that makes electric the only sensible lane. In both markets every competitor is sourcing the same Chinese EVs, so the battery report is what separates a dealer from a chancer.
Want a sample report to see the battery section? Send the model you are looking at and we reply with a real example: WhatsApp UCarsea · ucarsea.com