Wrecked Teslas fetch high salvage prices as battery modules drive demand

Numerous automotive reporting sites and industry analysts offer metrics on new and used EV sales, but what happens to salvaged EVs after a total loss? This coverage centres on wrecked Teslas.

A Better Bid, a Florida-based auction broker that gives buyers access to salvage and clean-title vehicle auctions, has released internal data that reveals some interesting trends.

The company has seen a sevenfold surge in Tesla listings since 2019, and finds that these vehicles “defy traditional salvage pricing.” The median winning price for a ruined Tesla is a healthy $10,700—nearly triple the platform-wide median of $3,850. “Fueled by global demand for intact battery modules, electric drive units and reusable tech, rebuilders and EV specialists treat these wrecks as valuable goldmines rather than scrap metal,” the company tells us.

The salvage EV market is “effectively a single-brand ecosystem.” Only a handful of salvaged cars from competing EV makers such as Rivian, Polestar and Lucid are showing up on auction blocks.

The data also reveals an anatomy of EV accidents. Front-end collisions dominate the platform’s inventory, accounting for 162 of the 367 recorded Tesla lots. Rear-end impacts accounted for 75 lots, and side impacts for 32. Minor dents and scratches accounted for 29 lots, followed by flood damage, all-over damage and hail.

Source: A Better Bid