Jan 14, 2026Sustainability Stories / Mobility Stories
EV Charging Infrastructure: The Backbone of E-Mobility
Public charging infrastructure is a crucial success factor for the transportation transition.
View article
EV Battery Testing: Building Trust in Electric Mobility
State of Health (SoH): The Foundation of Value in the Used EV Market
The transition to electromobility is fundamentally changing the automotive market. A central challenge is emerging, particularly in the growing market for used electric vehicles (EVs): the battery represents the largest cost factor, yet its actual condition is often intangible for buyers and dealers. This lack of transparency leads to uncertainty and depresses the residual values of used EVs. Transparency regarding the State of Health (SoH) – the remaining capacity of the battery – is therefore much more than just a technical metric. It is the absolute foundation for trust, fair pricing, and a functioning secondary market. As public interest in electric vehicles continues to increase, independent battery health assessments become a critical enabler for accelerating adoption, strengthening consumer confidence, and supporting a transparent used EV market.
This is exactly where DEKRA comes in as an independent testing organization, as the requirements for vehicle safety are undergoing a massive transformation:
The focus of vehicle inspection is shifting. As emissions checks become less relevant, the real challenge lies in ensuring the safety of high-voltage systems, powerful batteries, and increasingly automated driving functions. Future mobility will depend not only on technological innovation but also on trusted and independent validation throughout the entire vehicle lifecycle.
Stan Zurkiewicz, CEO DEKRA
To secure this trust in the new technology over the long term, reliable, manufacturer-independent testing procedures are essential. Only when fleet operators, dealers, and end customers can rely on the actual condition of the battery will electromobility gain long-term acceptance and reach its full potential.
Importance of Reliable Battery Testing: Empowering the Transition to Sustainable Transportation
Innovations require safety to scale successfully in the market. As a global partner in the transition to electromobility, DEKRA guides manufacturers, fleet managers, and end consumers through the complexity of this transformation. Independent validations and certifications are key to ensuring the safety, performance, and longevity of EVs throughout their entire life cycle. As acceptance of electromobility grows, trusted battery diagnostics and transparent State of Health assessments will become increasingly important to support values, secondary markets, and long-term consumer/customer confidence. Through objective testing standards and our decades of expertise in vehicle inspections, we create the necessary credibility. In this way, we enable progress that is not only technologically groundbreaking but also safe and responsible.
Read More About E-Mobility
3 Results
Aug 04, 2025Mobility Stories / Automotive
Busting Myths About Electric Cars: Facts vs. Fiction in E-Mobility
From fire risks to safety concerns, we debunk common electric vehicle myths and reveal the facts.
View article
Apr 03, 2024Automotive / E-Mobility / Safety on the road
Used Electric Cars – What about Battery Health?
Are used electric cars really a risk for users? More disclosure on drive battery condition helps to eliminate doubts.
View article
Our Battery Services: From Sustainability to State of Health Validation
Today, the requirements for battery systems are as diverse as their applications. Instead of isolated individual services, DEKRA offers a holistic portfolio that covers the entire life cycle and all regulatory aspects. To provide the necessary safety and compliance, we bundle our expertise into four core areas:
- Sustainable Batteries: Solutions for a sustainable circular economy – from eco-design and life-cycle assessment to recycling.
- Batteries in EVs: Focus on safe operation, including precise State of Health (SoH) evaluations, high-voltage safety, and well-founded condition reports for used vehicles.
- Battery Compliance Services: Strategic guidance through complex regulations (such as the EU Battery Regulation) as well as specialized open class for the safe handling of high-voltage technologies.
- Testing & Certification of Batteries: Comprehensive laboratory testing and certifications to ensure that batteries meet the highest international safety and performance standards.
The Technological Backbone of Battery Testing
Our world-leading testing facilities, including the specialized Battery Test Center at the Lausitzring (Brandenburg, Germany) and our Automotive Test Center of Excellence in Michigan (USA), were commissioned in 2025 and serve as the technological backbone for these comprehensive validations worldwide.
FAQs: Understanding EV Battery Health and Testing
As the adoption of electric vehicles increases, the used EV market is growing rapidly. However, uncertainty regarding battery condition remains one of the biggest barriers for buyers and sellers. Independent third-party State of Health (SoH) assessments help create transparency regarding remaining battery capacity, support fair pricing, and strengthen confidence in used electric vehicles. This makes battery diagnostics increasingly important for dealers, fleet operators, insurers, and consumers alike.
The 80-20 rule is a highly recommended charging best practice for electric vehicle owners. It suggests charging the battery to a maximum of 80% and plugging it in before it drops below 20%. Operating within this specific charge range minimizes mechanical and thermal stress on the lithium-ion cells, which significantly slows down natural battery degradation. Maintaining this habit protects the battery's State of Health (SoH) over time. When an independent expert evaluates a used EV, a well-maintained battery directly translates into a higher SoH percentage, ensuring better residual value and trust for the secondary market.
EV batteries are evaluated using a combination of in-vehicle software diagnostics, physical stress tests, and comprehensive laboratory analyses. These procedures ensure the battery can safely withstand extreme temperatures, vibrations, and demanding charging cycles. DEKRA provides holistic testing across the entire battery life cycle. This ranges from rapid diagnostic condition reports for used car evaluations to rigorous high-voltage safety validations at our world-leading testing facilities, such as the Battery Test Center at the Lausitzring in Germany and our Automotive Test Center in Michigan, USA.
The State of Health (SoH) indicates a battery's current remaining capacity compared to when it was brand new. Generally, an SoH above 80% is considered excellent for a used EV, while a percentage between 70% and 80% is completely normal for older vehicles and still offers highly functional range. In fact, most manufacturers guarantee a minimum SoH of 70% for the first eight years or 160,000 kilometers. An independent SoH validation from DEKRA provides essential transparency, ensuring buyers and sellers can agree on a fair price based on an unbiased, factual condition report.
Battery testing methods are tailored to the specific stage of the vehicle's life cycle:
- Diagnostic SoH Evaluations: Primarily used by dealerships, fleet operators, and during vehicle inspections. This software-based method reads data from the Battery Management System (BMS) to determine residual capacity for the used car market.
- Laboratory & Homologation Testing: Conducted for manufacturers before a vehicle enters the market. It includes rigorous electrical, thermal, and physical stress tests to ensure compliance with international safety standards.
- End-of-Life Assessments: Used when an EV battery is retired. These tests determine whether a battery is suitable for second-life applications (such as stationary energy storage) or if it must proceed to sustainable recycling.
The EU Battery Regulation introduces strict requirements to make batteries safer, more sustainable, and circular throughout their entire life cycle. It mandates comprehensive carbon footprint declarations, strict minimum performance standards, and the implementation of the Digital Battery Passport by 2027. Consequently, EV battery testing must now expand beyond traditional safety and performance metrics to include detailed life-cycle assessments and data verification. DEKRA’s specialized compliance services guide manufacturers and fleet operators through these complex regulatory changes to ensure full market compliance.
Feb 05, 2026Sustainability Stories
Understanding the EU Battery Regulation: Key Developments and Implementation Update in 2025
EU Battery Regulation 2025 updates: due diligence delays, carbon footprint, labelling & compliance steps.
View article
Jun 04, 2025Digital Trust Stories / Career
Always on the go and always in motion
Always on the go and always in motion
View article
Apr 16, 2025Vehicle Technology / Safety on the road / Future Vehicle & Mobility Services
Solid-State Batteries: on the Road to a Miracle Battery
Car manufacturers and specialized companies are investing hundreds of millions of euros in the development of solid-state batteries.
View article