As Head of Product at EXACTO, I am involved in building tools that support used car sales. For several years, at international conferences on remarketing and the second-hand vehicle market, one topic has not left the agenda: electric cars and all the issues related to their return to the aftermarket.

Dealers selling new electric cars today have at least three powerful tools to help them build their sales funnel:

• Government or EU subsidies,
• Favorable financing in the form of a lease with a heavily inflated RV (residual value),
• Novelty effect – a new EV model will always be technologically more advantageous than a used one,
• In addition – manufacturers care about the sales of new EVs, because it affects their CO₂ emissions performance.

A problem that is yet to come

Overstated RV is generating a serious problem that is already occurring in Western Europe and will soon reach Poland. Rental-financed car packages with unrealistically high residual values will begin to return to the market.

This crisis will hit:

• Financing institutions that will be forced to repurchase these cars at an inflated value,
• Dealers, who often take over this duty, and already have a problem reselling demo cars.

It’s such an asteroid on its way to the dealer market – for the time being, debris is falling in the West, but it’s possible to predict the date of impact in Poland today.

At CARA, together with the EXACTO team, we are trying to redefine the way we present the used electric car. We are treating the EV as a new product category, requiring a different narrative, awareness and value creation.

Where did the decision to buy come from?

This lengthy introduction was needed to show my motivation for buying an electric car.

My choice was… ChatGPT.

As a driver of cars with V8s and more than 300 horsepower, I was a complete layman in the EV world. So I asked ChatGPT what electric car was worth buying with my driving style and routes. I didn’t want to go to dealers for advice – it’s clear, everyone praises their own.

A tragedy in three acts

As an Audi driver, I went to the brand’s showroom on Saturday after breakfast to look at EV models. I was fresh out of Audi sales training, so my expectations were high. I didn’t reveal what I do for a living – I treat every car change as a test of the sales process.

And a tragedy in three acts happened:

1. When asked for advice – the seller referred me to the Internet and YouTube.
2. I was not offered coffee or a test drive. The car was unloaded.
3. I received an e-mail offer, but never received a response to questions about configuration.

Resigned, I abandoned the topic for several weeks.

Ioniq 5 – love from the test

As part of a project with Hyundai Motor Europe, we tested the Ioniq 5. The car had two downsides:

• No wireless Android Auto,
• USB-A connector that did not charge my iPhone.

The 300-mile range was cause for concern, but I later found information that the polift version already has wireless CarPlay. I sent 9 financing inquiries to various dealers.

(By the way, it’s a pity that Otomoto doesn’t show rental installments – as autofinance.co.uk does, for example).

In the end, I received the best offer from Hyundai Fortis of Bydgoszcz. The transaction was closed by Michal Wieser with exemplary service. Congratulations to Hyundai Motor Poland!

The offer after which they begin to envy me

After paying 36,000 zlotys gross (of which 30,000 zlotys will be reimbursed by the “Our Auto” program), my rental installment is 860 zlotys gross per month, with an assumed mileage of 15,000 km per year.

What do I get at this price?

• Range ~450 km with 120 km/h route driving,
• Spacious and comfortable interior – ideal for two reclining child seats,
• With good equipment and a modern design, the Ioniq 5 is impressive.

Why do my friends envy me?

First: because I paved the way for them. I showed them that the electric car does not bite and that it is realistically possible to live with it without sacrifice.

Second: because I pay less than they do for fueling, while driving a modern, quiet, comfortable car.

Third: because I did it with my head – after analysis, testing, without emotion. And a little thanks to AI.

Today, many of my friends are already considering buying an EV. And I do not hide – it makes me a little happy, a little amused, but most of all it gives me satisfaction. Because not only did I buy a car that makes sense, but I also changed the world around me a little.

Author : Michał Araszkiewicz