EV makers drive in schemes to win over sceptics

As India’s electric vehicle (EV) market moves from early adoption to a more mature phase, carmakers are sharpening their focus on a question that increasingly troubles buyers: what happens to the EV’s value a few years down the line.

- SOHINI DAS

With the number of older EVs on Indian roads beginning to rise, manufacturers are rolling out assured buyback guarantees, resale marketplaces, and battery health assurance programmes to reduce anxiety around depreciation and battery degradation.

On Monday, JSW MG Motor India extended its assured buyback programme for EVs from three years to upto five years, an industry-first move in the mass market segment. The company said the initiative guarantees a resale value of 40-60 per cent, depending on the tenure chosen, and is available not just to private buyers but also to commercial fleet operators using the MG ZS EV.

“As a customer-centric brand, MG has always introduced initiatives like Ba-a-S (battery-as-a-service) and lifetime warranty on EV batteries that make EV ownership a delightful mobility experience,” said Anurag Mehrotra, managing director (MD), JSW MG Motor India. Resale value, he added, remained a key concern for prospective EV buyers, and the extended assured buyback was aimed at offering peace of mind and building trust in electric mobility.