Stranded Asset, What Happens When A Gas Car Becomes Worth Less Than Zero As Transportation?

A CleanTechnica writer is making a five-year bet: by around 2031, ordinary used gas and diesel cars in the US could become "worth less than zero" as transportation, meaning it costs more to keep fueling and repairing them than they're worth once cheap used electric vehicles (EVs) are widely available as an alternative. He points to Norway, where EVs now make up nearly 98% of new car sales, and China, where used EV values are rising fast while used gas cars are becoming hard to sell, with some dealers reporting near 10% monthly price drops.

The math he lays out: a typical gas car burns about $200 a month in fuel plus $100 in maintenance, versus roughly $50 a month for electricity and $50 for upkeep on an EV, if you can charge at home. He argues that gap will push used gas car values down as more affordable used EVs hit the market.

He's careful to note the US isn't there yet, and may not get there on his timeline. Reasons include: the federal EV tax credit already expired, EV sales share here is still under 6%, Americans drive a lot of trucks with no cheap used electric equivalent yet, cars last nearly 13 years on average so the fleet turns over slowly, and roughly a third of households can't easily charge at home. For homeowners weighing a future car purchase, the piece is a reminder that home charging access is central to whether an EV actually saves money for your household.