Buying used.

[Johnocyprus]

Am keen to buy a second hand electric bike, i can check the general condition however I am clueless how to check the all important condition of the battery.
How can the layman check the battery condition?
TIA

 

[vfr400]

You can check the battery yourself with a proper battery load tester or by going out on a 50 mile ride. The cheapest load testers from China are about £100.

Bosch batteries can be checked by some dealers who have the special tester, which gives an official report on its condition.

Some batteries have lights that indicate the condition by initiating a special diagnosis mode. They tend to be on expensive bikes. Don't confuse that with the LEDs that light up to show the state of charge.

 

[Woosh]

it's difficult to check the battery's condition unless you have the right equipment.
Batteries last on average about 4 years. Some longer, some shorter, there is a little bit of luck involved.
New batteries are not serviceable, so if a weld inside the cell pack detaches when you hit a pothole, you'll shortly need a new battery.
The simplest way is to factor in something like 50% of the cost of a new battery for one year old bike, 75% for 2 year old bike, 100% for 3 year old bike.
If you can, buy a seond hand bike with warranty so at least, you will be covered for a while.

 

[Eagle]

Johnocyprus,
My rule of thumb is always assume that a replacement battery is required and negotiate the purchase price down accordingly.
Very rarely will the seller have a receipt for a new battery.
This earlier thread may help you:
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/battery-replacement.32078/#post-450058

Also try and buy a bike with a high (say 16ah) battery rating (not 10ah) unless you only do short journeys on the flat. The higher the battery's ah rating, the higher the range between recharges.

 

[Johnocyprus]

Some very helpful tips given, thank you very much.