Auto Selection has launched EV NEXT, a dedicated pre-owned electric vehicle brand that puts battery health front and centre, alongside a new multi-franchise aftersales facility called Drivecare.
Buying a used petrol car is nowadays a familiar exercise. Check the mileage, inspect the service history, look for signs of accident damage and, ideally, bring along someone who knows where to look.
A pre-owned electric vehicle complicates matters slightly. There is no engine to scrutinise, but there is a rather large and expensive battery sitting underneath the floor. And unlike the odometer, its condition is not something a buyer can determine simply by glancing at the dashboard.
That is the problem Auto Selection hopes to address with EV NEXT, its newly launched dedicated pre-owned EV brand in Singapore.
Auto Selection, the pre-owned vehicle arm of Sime Motors Singapore, says every EV sold under EV NEXT will receive complimentary battery State-of-Health (SOH) testing and certification.
The company has also introduced Drivecare, a multi-franchise aftersales facility supporting its expanding portfolio of conventional and electric pre-owned vehicles.
Battery health is the new mileage
For a conventional vehicle, mileage has traditionally served as one of the first reference points when assessing its condition. With an EV, however, the health of the traction battery can have a considerable bearing on performance, usable driving range and potentially the longer-term cost of ownership. EV NEXT therefore requires every vehicle offered for retail sale to have a minimum battery SOH of 85 per cent.
Cars that meet the standard are classified as either Excellent, for batteries with an SOH of 85 per cent and above, or Pristine, for those registering 90 per cent and above. Buyers will also receive certification showing that the vehicle has undergone a comprehensive 72-point health check, mileage verification and confirmation of its accident-free condition.
“As the EV market grows, battery health has become the new mileage, but this information is not always readily available in today’s pre-owned EV industry, making it harder for consumers to make an informed choice. EV NEXT was created to address this challenge. Alongside our comprehensive vehicle inspections support, we are giving pre-owned EV buyers greater confidence and transparency.”
Christopher Chin, Managing Director of Auto Selection and FASST Leasing.
Where do the cars come from?
EV NEXT’s inventory will be drawn primarily from Sime Motors Singapore’s network.
This includes demonstration units, management vehicles and customer trade-ins from Performance Motors Limited and Vantage Automotive Limited, as well as Auto Selection trade-ins and vehicles purchased directly by the company.
At the same time, Auto Selection says it has observed a growing number of first-time EV buyers visiting its showroom to consider used electric models.
That could make the pre-owned market an increasingly important part of Singapore’s transition towards electric mobility. Not everyone wants or needs a brand-new EV, after all.
“Every strong automotive market relies on a trusted cycle of ownership, where customers can enter the market with confidence, upgrade when their needs evolve, and know there is lasting value in their vehicle. The pre-owned market will play an increasingly important role in expanding access to electric mobility in Singapore. Through EV NEXT, we want to give customers greater confidence in their purchase while helping to build a more trusted and robust pre-owned ecosystem.”
Lawrence Tan, Managing Director of Performance Motors Limited and Sime Motors Singapore.
Drivecare looks after what happens next
Of course, reassuring someone enough to buy an EV is only half the job. Someone still has to look after it afterwards. This is where Drivecare comes in.
The newly launched multi-franchise servicing facility will support Auto Selection’s portfolio and play a role in refurbishing EV NEXT vehicles before they are offered for sale, maintaining consistent standards across the company’s pre-owned inventory while providing continued servicing support after purchase.
It is hardly the most glamorous development in Singapore’s EV transition, but it may prove one of the more useful ones. Because for electric cars to become truly mainstream, buying one second-hand eventually needs to feel as ordinary as buying any other used car.
EV NEXT and Drivecare are located at 1 Ubi Road 4, Singapore 408607.
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