When Easterns Automotive Group president Joel Bassam started selling electric cars, he didn’t expect to become one of the biggest independent EV retailers on the East Coast. “We bought a few, sold a few, and realized if you buy them right, you can sell them right,” he said on EV Insider.
That mindset turned out to be exactly what customers wanted.
From Experiment to Expansion
Easterns, which operates nine independent rooftops and two franchises in the DC–Baltimore area, was already experienced in EVs when the federal used-EV tax credit launched. Once the $4,000 point-of-sale rebate kicked in, sales surged.
“We redeemed over $12 million in tax credits for about 3,000 customers,” Bassam said. “It opened the door for people who never would’ve considered an EV before.”
At its peak, Easterns was selling 150 used EVs a month—and remarkably, 90 percent of buyers hadn’t come in looking for one. The rebate acted like an instant down payment, reducing monthly costs and letting shoppers stretch into newer, higher-quality cars.
Even after the federal credit ended on September 30 2025, Bassam says their strategy didn’t change: EVs are here to stay.
The Party’s Over? Not Exactly
Many dealers stopped buying used EVs the moment the credit expired. Easterns doubled down.
“Right now might actually be the best time to buy an EV,” Bassam explained. “Everyone’s scared of them, so we’re getting cars $5,000 below book value. If we can buy a car for $15,000 that books for $20,000, we’ll sell it.”
That contrarian approach—zigging while everyone else zags—is classic Easterns. It’s also a key reason shoppers willing to learn about EVs are finding extraordinary deals this fall.
Bassam’s father, the company’s founder, still runs acquisitions. “We might buy 500 cars in a day if the market shifts,” he said. “When everyone else is sitting out, that’s when opportunity shows up.”
Why EVs Win on the Driveway
The biggest hurdle Bassam sees isn’t price or charging, it’s perception. “Most customers have never owned one before,” he said. “Their questions are emotional, not technical.”
That emotional side isn’t unique to EVs. It’s the same instinct that drives someone in DC to insist on four-wheel drive for two snowy days a year, or to buy a pickup for off-roading they’ll never do.
“Range anxiety is today’s version of ‘I need a truck,’” Bassam said. “Once you actually drive one and see your real commute is 40 miles, the anxiety disappears.”
For most households with a driveway or second car, a used EV is already practical. “You don’t need fancy equipment,” he said. “A regular household outlet works fine for overnight charging if it’s your second car.”
And that practicality comes with genuine excitement. EVs are packed with technology, deliver instant acceleration, and usually include every premium feature as standard.
Compare a three-year-old EV with a same-price gas sedan and the difference is obvious: more tech, lower mileage, and quieter performance.
The Value Story Dealers Don’t Always Tell
Because of heavy early depreciation, used EVs are often undervalued relative to their features. “If you line up a Polestar 2 next to a gas [Toyota]Camry at the same price, they don’t feel remotely equivalent,” Bassam said. “The EV feels like the future. And now, with the incentives gone, that price gap gets even better.”
He believes the market is finally reaching “normality”—where shoppers evaluate EVs and gas cars side by side, without fear. “Once that happens,” he said, “EVs win on merit.”
That shift will accelerate in 2026, when hundreds of thousands of off-lease EVs hit the market, pushing prices down and variety up. The “EV premium” is fading fast.
What Smart Buyers Should Focus On
For used-EV shoppers, Bassam offered several takeaways:
1. Look beyond the sticker price.
Calculate your true monthly cost, including fuel savings. Even without rebates, skipping gas often saves $100–$200 per month.
2. Prioritize battery health over mileage.
“Everyone still treats miles as the main value driver,” he said. “But a 100,000-mile EV that was charged at home could be healthier than a 30,000-mile one that fast-charged every day.”
Tools like Recurrent’s retailing products help bridge that gap by giving buyers transparency on real range and battery condition.
3. Test the lifestyle, not just the car.
If you can, borrow or rent an EV for a few days. Try your commute. Plug into a public charger once. Most shoppers discover charging is simpler than expected.
4. Don’t fear depreciation, it’s your advantage.
Early-model EVs dropped fast in value, but that means you can buy more car for less money. “They’re the best value in the market right now,” Bassam said.
The Tech Trickling Down
Bassam lights up when talking about performance. “Even a base-model EV will smoke most gas cars off the line,” he laughed. Instant torque and one-pedal driving make even daily commutes fun.
He also credits high-end innovation for pushing mainstream progress. “What Rimac is doing for Bugatti or what Porsche is doing with hybrid turbos—all that trickles down,” he said. “The same way going to the moon gave us smartphones, supercars are driving everyday EV efficiency.”
That continuous improvement will narrow the gap between EVs, plug-in hybrids, and traditional gas cars. “Eventually,” Bassam predicts, “the base model will be electric. Paying more for a plug-in hybrid will be like paying extra for a backup generator.”
A Future Built on Familiarity
In Bassam’s view, the turning point for EV adoption won’t come from a new policy—it’ll come from familiarity. As more people see friends and neighbors driving EVs, they’ll stop asking if they’re different. “Once the fear’s gone,” he said, “you can finally compare car versus car.”
That’s already happening at Easterns, where chargers are being added to store lots for both customer convenience and brand loyalty. “If I can make my dealership a charging stop,” Bassam said, “I get people coming back every week. Why wouldn’t I?”
The Bottom Line for Shoppers
The used-EV market in 2025–26 is shifting fast—but it’s moving in the shopper’s favor. Prices are softening, selection is growing, and technology is improving every model year. Dealers like Easterns are leaning in, not out, because the math simply works.
If you’ve been EV-curious, this might be the best time yet to make the jump. As Bassam put it:
“These cars aren’t the future anymore—they’re just better cars.”
