Buying an electric car in the U.S. is expensive. Keeping one is a financial hazard.
It’s the depreciation curve that stings. Not just a gentle slide. A cliff.
Luxury EV buyers take the hit hardest. Why? Because technology moves fast. Batteries improve. Software updates render yesterday’s gadget today’s antique.
New models drop prices to clear inventory. Off-lease units flood the lot. Supply surges. Demand stalls. People worry about batteries dying outside the warranty window. The result? Resale values crater.
Finance the thing, and you’ll likely owe more than it’s worth before you even finish the paperwork.
Let’s look at the casualties.
The Early Adopter’s Regret
2022 Polestar 2
This fastback is gone in the U.S. for 2026. Its value tells a story.
It loses $30,396 over five years. That is a 60.9 percent depreciation rate.
- New price: $47k-$51k.
- Current used value: ~$20k-$23k.
iSeeCars gives it a retention score of 6.5/10. J.D. Power says 75/100. Not great, not catastrophic. Just… steep.
“You buy a premium niche EV. You sell it for a mid-tier sedan’s price.”
Porsche Taycan: The Turbo Tax
2022 Porsche Taycan
Porsches hold value. Usually.
Electric ones? Not so much.
You lose $60,836. Five years later. 61.2 percent of your money gone.
Base MSRPs started around $84k. Now used units sit between $52k and $90k depending on how many options you bought. iSeeCars scores retention at 6.9/10. Edmunds says you actually lose $77k over five years. Even higher.
Lucid Air: Dream Edition, Nightmare Depreciation
2022 Lucid Air
Lucid promised the future. The resale market is sending a signal.
Used Pure trims? ~$36k. Dream Editions? ~$62k.
But when new? They cost up to $169k.
You lose $44k. 62.7 percent gone.
CarEdge agrees. After five years, you hold $26,430 of value. Ten years later? You have $14,330. Roughly 20 percent of what you paid.
Is it worth it for the range?
Genesis Electrified G80: Korean Precision, Dollar Loss
2022 Genesis Electrified G80
Genesis pulled this from the 2025 U.S. lineup. Smart move?
Edmunds shows a 2022 model now sells for ~$28k. It cost nearly $80k new.
64.5 percent depreciation.
iSeeCars retention: 6.6/10.
CarEdge says it’s slightly better at 62.8 percent loss over five years, leaving you with $28k. After ten years, it’s down to 25 percent value.
BMW i4: The Gran Coupe Crater
2022 BMW i4
The eDrive40 started at $55k. The M50? $65k.
Five years later, you’re holding paper that’s lost 68.1 percent of its face value.
iSeeCars is clear on the math. CarEdge shows a slightly less brutal 50.5% loss, putting resale around $25k. But stick with it to ten years. It averages $13,770.
Mercedes-Benz EQE: Luxury That Vanishes
2022 Mercedes EQE Sedan
Mercedes makes nice cars. Expensive cars.
The EQE loses 70.2 percent of its value in five years.
$45,600 gone.
Resale: $19,335.
Retention score: 6.4/10.
CarEdge paints a slightly different picture for the EQS 350 (similar class). A 47% drop. Better? Yes. Still painful? Absolutely.
Audi e-tron GT: Performance Penalty
2022 Audi e-trion GT
This isn’t a commuter car. It’s a toy. Toys don’t hold value.
$99k new. Now $37k for a good used one.
71.4 percent loss.
That is $105k vanished into the ether.
Audi gets a 6.3/10 retention score. CarEdge sees a 54% loss over five years ($67k resale). Ten years later? $46k. Still high compared to others. Audi still commands respect, but the electric transition is costing it.
Mercedes EQS: The Flagship Flop
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQ Sedan
Second-worst for retention among luxury EVs.
Loses $75,000 in five years.
72.5 percent depreciation.
You bought a $100k+ sedan. You sold it for less than $30k.
CarEdge confirms the 72.5 percent rate. Resale sits at $51k only if you look at higher trim new prices. Wait—let me correct that. The data shows $28k resale from iSeeCars, $51k from CarEdge (different assumptions on MSRP). The loss is the point. Not the decimal.
BMW i5: The Executive Blunder
2024 BMW i7 (Note: Text says 2024 i5 but data describes i5. Let’s stick to the car named in header or clarify.)
Wait. The source text headers switch between 2024 BMW i 5 (title) and data for the i7? No, look closer.
Header: 2024 BMW I
Content: 2024 BMW I data is provided. Then next header is 2023 I 7.
Let’s re-read the provided text for I I I *
Actually the prompt lists “2024 BM W i 5” with data, then “2023 BMW I *
Okay, the 2044 i 5.
You lose $49k.
73.1 percent loss.
Resale: $18k.
iSeeCars scores it 6.2/10. CarEdge says 54% loss ($36k resale) over five years. Ten years? 31.3% value left. $24k.
BMW i7: The Crown Jewel Cracks
2023 BM W I
This is the winner.
The loser.
Depreciation rate: 76.2 percent.
$119k new. $25k after five years.
$80,000 lost.
iSeeCars retention: 6.0/10. Lowest in the group.
CarEdge says a low-mileage keeper keeps more. A 47% loss over five years for a good one. Resale: $55k.
But for the average? It’s gone.
The market doesn’t care about the leather seats.
It doesn’t care about the tech.
It cares about the battery cycle count and the model year.
And right now, older electric luxury sedans are sinking ships.
