EV battery report: what a battery test reveals
A certified battery health report within three minutes
What is included in a car's battery report?
A car battery report is a document linked to the chassis number that records the status of the battery pack. At the top is the State of Health: the percentage of the original capacity that is still available today. Below that, it shows how the cells are balanced against each other, what the charging history reveals, and the corresponding final assessment.
The difference with a printout from a universal scanner lies in the substantiation. An EV battery report from The Battery Experts is CARA Approved, the European standard for battery diagnostics. This makes it a document that a buyer, a workshop, or a leasing company can rely on, rather than just a snapshot without context.
Want to see what such a report looks like first? Leave your phone number and we will send a real example via WhatsApp.
Reading the battery of an electric car: what the measurement shows
Reading an electric car's battery sounds more technical than it actually is. The measurement is done via the diagnostic port present in every vehicle, the same connection a garage uses during maintenance. No hood is opened, and no cables are disconnected.
What comes out is more than just one number. We read the remaining capacity, the voltage difference between the weakest and strongest cell, and how often the pack has been fast-charged. It is precisely that voltage difference that is valuable: a starting cell defect is detected there sooner than in the SOH percentage.
The result is usually available immediately. For the vast majority of models, the report is ready within three minutes; for a small portion of the newest models, processing takes up to 36 hours.
Electric car battery test: this is how the measurement works
An electric car battery test starts at an affiliated garage, or at home if you have the toolkit. The dongle goes into the diagnostic port, the car is recognized by the VIN, and the measurement starts.
You do not need to drive it, and the battery does not need to be empty or full first. However, the fuller the pack, the more clearly a weak cell stands out. Above a ninety percent charge, a lagging cell is most visible.
Afterwards, you will receive the report by email and it will be available in your account. From there, you can forward it to a buyer or add it to the advertisement.
Electric car battery check: when should you have one done?
The most common reason is a purchase. An electric car battery check removes the greatest uncertainty from a used EV: you know what is left of the battery pack before you pay, and not only after the first winter.
Selling is the second reason. A car that comes with a report sells faster and holds its price better, because the buyer doesn't have to assume anything anymore.
In addition, we see trade-ins, expiring lease contracts, warranty discussions, and damage claim handling. In all of those cases, it is about the same thing: a figure that both parties can rely on.
EV battery health: what a good percentage is
A new battery pack starts at one hundred percent. What happens next varies greatly by car: charging habits, climate, and model carry more weight than the mileage. Telematics company Geotab found an average loss of about 1.8 percent per year across thousands of vehicles, but that average says very little about one specific car.
As a rough guideline, we use the following bandwidths. They say something about the package as a whole; the cell balance in the report determines whether there is anything else going on.
95 to 100%
Virtually new. This is the normal picture for young cars with few fast charges.
90 to 95%
Healthy and normal for a car that is a few years old. In practice, the loss is barely noticeable.
85 to 90%
Visible wear and tear. The range is decreasing, but the battery pack still does its job.
Below 85%
Reason to look further, especially at the cell balance. One weak cell drags the entire pack down.
Checking car battery health: yourself or by a specialist
You can check your car's battery health with a cheap dongle and an app from the store. For a first impression, that's fine. You then read the value that the car calculates itself, and that value rolls out of the system without any verification and without context.
The difference lies in the interpretation and the status of the document. We compare the measurement with more than one hundred thousand real-world measurements, look at the cell balance instead of just a single number, and deliver a report that is CARA Approved. The latter is what counts when it really matters: a sale, a trade-in, or a warranty dispute.
Are you unsure if your model is supported, or do you want to know what is best in your situation? Leave your number and we will call you back.
How much does a battery report for an electric car cost?
For private individuals, a battery report costs 80 euros including VAT. You have the test carried out at an affiliated garage; the labor and the certificate are included in that amount. We do not perform testing on-site at people's homes.
If you work in the automotive industry, you do the measuring yourself. The toolkit is a one-off fee starting at 59 euros excluding VAT, and after that, you pay 29.95 euros excluding VAT per test performed. No subscription and no minimum purchase, so a car you don't test costs you nothing.
Frequently asked questions about the battery report
What is included in the TBE battery certificate?
The SOH percentage, the cell balance, the charging history, the warranty status, and a comparison with similar vehicles.
How do I measure the health of an EV battery?
With an OBD dongle and the corresponding app, you can read the battery pack. Within three minutes, you will have an SOH percentage and a certificate.
What is the difference between reading SOH and testing SOH?
Reading out retrieves what the car itself calculates. Testing verifies that value based on the actual behavior of the pack.
How much does a battery report for an electric car cost?
For individuals, 80 euros including VAT at an affiliated garage. Car dealerships pay 29.95 euros excluding VAT per report.
Want to know more? View all frequently asked questions in the knowledge base.
Request your battery report
Schedule a test at an affiliated garage, or take a look at what a report looks like first. Both are possible today.