The automotive ecosystem is currently slowing down in terms of OEM profitability, but not at all in terms of major news. The good news first: the significant increase in battery state-of-health certification is a clear sign of the professionalization and first stabilization of the BEV used-car market. However, recent news on Waymo entering London with an autonomous taxi fleet and the significant increase in Chinese OEM market shares in the UK and parts of the EU are both topics which have the potential to reshuffle again the business models current positioning of players. With all this uncertainty, we discussed in October’s Qorus & CVA webinar what the perspectives of the market are in terms of price & volume evolution, and we're dedicating a full webinar to Chinese players in November. Sign up or review the webinars for free with the links shared at the end of our newsletter.
Battery-health certification gains traction across Europe’s used-EV market
Ayvens Carmarket has begun issuing State-of-Health (SoH) certificates for all used BEVs sold in Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Portugal, and the Netherlands, with a wider EU rollout planned. Recent research shows that used EVs with verified battery certificates now sell over a week faster than uncertified cars, showing that transparency increases vehicle attractiveness, reducing stand days. Certification tools are also advancing: AVILOO has launched a faster, dealer-grade “AVILOO CERTIFIED” process, while the EU Battery Regulation will require digital battery passports from 2027, providing the regulatory backbone for this trend. Together these moves signal that battery transparency is becoming a core trust signal at the point of sale, improving conversion, stabilizing residual values, and addressing buyer concerns over degradation - at a time when independent studies suggest that real-world battery health clearly outperforms consumer perception and vehicle liftime.
CVA perspective:
Ensuring battery health and giving transparency on its State-of-Health is no longer a niche innovation but a structural requirement for the next phase of Europe’s used-EV market.
In our view, “BEV-readiness”, covering SoH verification, warranty design, CPO setup, and AI-driven remarketing, is now one of the six Performance Priorities to unlock value in 2026. These levers can yield €1,000–€2,000 additional margin per unit, when integrated into an industrialized, data-led remarketing process. With the 2026 BEV defleet wave approaching, combining certified battery data with dynamic asset allocation, refurbishment efficiency, and AI-based pricing will define the winners of the next used-car cycle.
Read CVA's position paper: 2026 Performance Priorities for Used Car Management — how to operationalize BEV-readiness, industrialize refurbishment, and capture Vehicle Lifetime Value end-to-end.
Waymo - Driverless cars are coming to the UK
Driveless transport is moving from experiment to implementation. Waymo plans to launch robotaxis in London by 2026. The UK startup Wayve has issued the slightly more sober “plan to develop and launch public-road trials of level 4 fully autonomous vehicles in London". The technology is ready, but the framework is not. Regulation, liability, and insurance rules still trail far behind. Therefore, full autonomy in the UK will depend less on engineering progress than on how fast government, insurers, and cities can adapt. Infrastructure is the bottleneck, especially depots, charging, cleaning, and uptime management. Europe's OEMs are advancing too, with Stellantis and Pony.ai testing level-4 electric vans in Luxembourg ahead of a 2026 multi-city rollout.
CVA perspective:
Waymo targets London rides in 2026, yet UK trials may still require safety drivers and broader legislation. Liability remains unsolved. This implies a regulation-led, not a technology-led progress. London´s dense, pedestrian-heavy streets and the absence of jaywalking rules will stress US-trained systems. Expect longer human-supervised phases and slower geofence expansion than in grid cities. Professional drivers face disruption at scale, while new roles grow in fleet ops, cleaning, charging, and remote supervision. We believe that autonomous driving is on the verge of a significant acceleration in adoption. Numerous players are ready with functioning systems. Waymo has shown that accidents per 100,000 km are significantly lower than those driven by humans. It is now up to regulators to clear the way.
Chinese OEMs in Europe/UK - XPeng
Chinese OEMs have established a sustained presence in Europe. In the UK their market share (across all engine types) has surpassed 12% ytd. Their competitive position is supported by lower cost structures, in parts better technology and fast development cycles.
In Europe tariffs are slightly slowing down adoption (vs. e.g. UK without import tariffs) but several producers have adjusted pricing and go-to-market strategies to increase also EU sales. Chinese OEMs thereby do not only sell BEVs, but are also increasing their ICE and especially PHEV sales - which (for now) see no additional import tariffs in the EU. Many brands now use dealer and distributor partnerships instead of pure direct-to-consumer models. Large distributors and established service networks are frequently involved. Some operational constraints remain and include residual values, insurance acceptance, parts availability, and GDPR-compliant data processes.
CVA perspective:
Chinese OEMs are now the fastest-scaling entrants in the European auto market. Their success is anchored in cost leadership, technological advancements, and short product cylces. Despite some import tariffs, more Chinese offers are entering the European markets, in parts also with an aggressive go-to-market & pricing strategy. For fleet-owners it is particularly important to understand that competition is not only increasing in BEV vehicles but also on PHEV & ICE. This has direct effects on the NC and UC price-points on these engine types and leads (especially in advanced markets e.g. UK) already to a parallel decline in NC & UC prices.
Qorus & CVA Mobility Community update
In October's Qorus + CVA session, we discussed the overall evolution of new- & used-car prices as well as volume evolution in Europe. We were joined by Alexis Chalopin (Renault) and Stéphane Crasnier (Cosmobilis) who both shared their vision on the impact of regulation, market evolutions, Chinese players and many more.
We invite you to join our next webinar on November 18th: "Chinese OEMs & Captives changing the rules of the Auto game". We will look at both the impacts for different players in the market, and potential opportunities it opens.