AUCTION house Manheim Australia is giving all sellers of EVs the ability to perform a battery health check to give buyers peace of mind when buying a used EV.

The move, in a partnership between Manheim and Europe-based technology company Aviloo Automotive, deals head-on with any concerns about EV battery health issues.

The battery state-of-health (SoH) ‘flash test’ will be offered to all sellers of used electric vehicles (EVs) consigned to Manheim’s auction lanes.

It has significant advantages for dealers, who can buy a used EV at Manheim with a battery health score and use the date-stamped certificate when they on-sell the vehicle from their lot. 

The Aviloo battery health test service will initially be offered at Manheim’s Melbourne, Sydney and  Brisbane locations, with a phased rollout across the rest of Australia and into New Zealand scheduled to follow. 

Aviloo research in the European market found that more than 80 per cent of EV buyers said they would consider a dealer offering SoH certificates as more trustworthy, the company said.

Manheim Australia said that having a clear and comprehensive health assessment on an EV’s lithium-ion battery pack was one key way to help improve EV residual values, because it gives prospective buyers greater confidence in their  purchase.

While EV sales at Manheim Australia auctions remain a small percentage of the total, they increased more than three-fold in H1 2025 over the previous year and will become an increasingly important part of the mix as de-fleeted EVs will begin to proliferate quickly. 

Sellers who opt to purchase an Aviloo Flash Test will receive a battery SoH certificate on their vehicle’s listing. This will take the form of a button link to the certificate and an image in the carousel. 

Dealer buyers will be able to use this certificate when they retail the vehicle.

Manheim Australia said that international data showed that a pre-owned EV sold at wholesale auction with a battery health score attracts a greater number of bids and sells for more money, while at a retail level buyers are becoming increasingly influenced by the presence of a health score. 

Manheim Express in Germany collated auction data over 12 months on used EVs sold with and without Aviloo SoH tests provided. The successful auction selling or clearance  rate for EVs with a health test supplied was 15 per cent greater. EVs with a SoH score drew 22 per cent more  bids.

Aviloo’s own market research based on a large survey of European customers found that retail buyers were prepared to pay between 550 and 1100 euros (around $A1000-$A2000) more for a used EV with a health test and 81 per cent said they would consider a dealer offering SoH certificates as more  trustworthy. 

Importantly, the firm’s survey also found that more than 55 per cent of prospective new EV buyers would consider buying a used EV if it had a SoH certification provided, suggesting this is one way to effectively bolster second-hand EV residual values and reduce dealer selling times.

Mike Costello

Manheim Australia corporate affairs manager and analyst Mike Costello said: “The research we see shows that a key concern for prospective used EV buyers – both dealers and the  public – is the health of the battery, both for the now and for the future.”

“We believe auction buyers will come to expect independent battery health assessments attached to  EVs they are looking to bid on, so we see the Aviloo Battery Certification as key to our wider EV  strategy,” Mr Costello said.

Aviloo CEO Dr Marcus Berger

Aviloo CEO Dr Marcus Berger said in a statement: “The uncertainty about the condition of the battery – the most important factor influencing the residual value of a vehicle – is a significant challenge for many buyers of used electric vehicles.

“We want to create clarity in the global market for used EV and plug-in hybrid vehicles, both for dealers and potential buyers. 

“Therefore, we are very pleased to have found a strategically important partner in Manheim Australia. We are confident that through this partnership, we have taken another step towards elevating battery diagnostics in Australia to a new level.”

How it works: 

• An Aviloo test box (about the size of a large TV remote) plugs into an EV’s OBD port. Information is gathered from the vehicle systems and sent for analysis

• The SoH report is generated by Aviloo and emailed as a PDF certificate, showing a topline figure of remaining battery state-of-health as a percentage

• This report also generates a WLTP range calculation used versus new, specific to the given vehicle’s SoH score. 

Footnote: Austrian-based Aviloo claims to be the world’s leading provider of EV battery diagnostics, with more than  2000 clients across Europe, Asia, the US and Australia. 

It is one of only three providers certified by the Car Remarketing Association Europe (CARA). An Aviloo SoH report determines battery health, remaining capacity, and identifies potential  internal battery cell issues 

Aviloo says it is evolving its diagnostic ecosystem to cover 95 per cent of EVs and PHEVs.  This includes comprehensive coverage  of Australian-market vehicles including most new Chinese models. 

Manheim in the United States wholesales about 80,000 EVs a year and as of mid-2025 has provided VIN-specific health scores on more than 50,000 EVs. 

In the US and Europe, Cox Automotive provides services in EV diagnostics, storage, logistics, recycling, repairing (including OEM warranty work) and remanufacturing.