Popular Premium PHEV Used Values Today
The sporty and stylish BMW 330e was launched in August 2016. Its attractive selling price encouraged many buyers to ignore the petrol powered BMW 320i and opt for this hybrid powered 330e which had more cabin features and added visual ‘kit’ on the exterior. It was a handsome looking sedan and still looks fresh today.
Today, some 6 years later, this car is being advertised in the online classifieds (there are more than 200 units on sale when we checked) from a high RM96,000 to a more realistic RM70,000 and we have heard of final negotiated prices hitting RM62,000. This is an average RM3k depreciation every month over 60 months.
Let us explain. PHEV’s come with a host of interesting electronic problems. It is simple. Think about it. Here is a car (or SUV or Crossover) with a petrol engine (probably a 4-cylinder) working with a battery electric system to assist in heavy traffic conditions and also when added acceleration is needed.
So, you have a vehicle with a very complicated electrical system and also an electronic system to ensure both powertrains work seamlessly without the need for any intervention by the driver.
During the factory warranty period (4 to 5 years depending on the manufacturer) owners can send their PHEV’s back for repair and or parts replacement at NO COST, but it is tedious as we have come to find out in recent years from owners Facebook pages (all PHEV brands).
There are days, even weeks their plug in hybrid luxury cars sit waiting for assistance, parts and many times owners do not get a courtesy car because there are NO MORE courtesy cars to be given out due to the high number of failures and issues with PHEVs.
We already know of a number of PHEV ‘buy backs’ by the manufacturers in return for pure petrol powered models.
There are very few PHEV ‘battery’ issues. It is everything else working around the PHEV battery system that gives problems.
Yes, luxury cars have high depreciation and it does not matter the brand or the model. The used PHEV buyer is unaware of the mounting issues and when the extended warranty is over in 1 to 2 years, they will have to pay hefty prices for replacement parts and repairs.
Again, the PHEV battery has a long warranty (6 to 8 years) but the electronics around it has no warranty and the parts and repair prices are NOT cheap.
Meanwhile, back in April 2021, there was new European legislation to phase out PHEV’s in favor of full electric vehicles as there were still not that emissions friendly. Today we see news from Europe that the PHEV might be back with better tech and lower emissions.
So, be aware when buying a used plug-in hybrid European car. Stay away unless you know what you are getting yourself into. The 330e is s great driving machine but can be costly to maintain after warranty. Very costly.
