From Recurrent.
Is 2026 the year used EVs finally break through? EV Insider host Scott sits down with Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier of ASOTU to unpack what’s actually happening in the market right now.
Their conference:
https://www.asotucon.com/
They dig into why there’s historically no tight correlation between gas prices and new EV sales — except for one notable six-month stretch in 2022, when EV share jumped 50%. With gas prices spiking again and CarMax reporting a 28% year-over-year increase in used EV searches, the question isn’t whether demand is building — it’s whether it will convert before prices stabilize.
A big part of the answer is supply. The wave of 2022-era EVs is coming off lease right now, flooding the used market with affordable inventory at exactly the moment consumers are feeling pain at the pump. But there’s a catch: many of those original lessees had payments as low as $200/month thanks to aggressive captive finance rates and incentives that no longer exist. How dealers navigate those returning customers — and whether they trade up, buy used, or walk — is one of the most interesting storylines of the year.
Scott also shares some of Recurrent’s most surprising findings from six years and 35,000 vehicles worth of real-world data: EV batteries are lasting longer than expected, and most EVs are actually exceeding their EPA range estimates after three years on the road. The data suggests dealers and manufacturers have been underselling the product — and that EV retention rates sit above 90% once someone makes the switch.
The group also debates whether dealers who’ve pulled back on EV education are walking into a trap, and why Toyota’s decision to go all-in on EVs in 2026 — while everyone else is zigging toward hybrids — might be the smartest move in the industry.
EV Insider is produced by Recurrent, the company helping dealers and consumers make smarter decisions with real-world EV data.
