• immediately. This is a symptom of very weak batteries. They will need to be cooled down before starting the car again.
• Test drive in the vicinity of the seller's location so that you can get back quickly if need be. You do not want to be stranded in a faraway place should the batteries fail.
• If the car’s batteries do fail suddenly, just stop the car to let the batteries cool down for about 20 minutes before driving slowly back to the car seller’s location.
• If you discover that the batteries are weak and need to be replaced, you may want to ask the seller to negotiate the cost of the vehicle based on how much more you will need to spend after you have acquired the car. This will depend, of course, on how much they are asking for the car to begin with. They may have already based their asking price on that calculation, in which case, they may not be receptive to further lowering the price.

If you are not making the purchase from a specialist in electric vehicles, or the seller/owner is not thoroughly knowledgeable in all aspects of the car, it is advisable to refer to an expert to assist you in checking the car before you commit to purchasing it.

It is not difficult to locate freelance specialists. There are so many varieties of electric vehicles being used globally, such as airport vehicles, fork lift trucks and golf cars, that electric vehicle maintenance specialists are easily available in most big towns and cities.

Service engineers for electric vehicles are usually mobile and will make home visits for car owners who wish to have the maintenance done at their homes. They will also be available for hire to check a car for its quality before a buyer commits. This is standard practice and is just the same as buyers do with conventional used vehicles. You will need to ask the seller’s permission to allow a professional to conduct a thorough assessment of the electric vehicle before actually hiring the specialist to come to you.

Because assessing the state of the batteries is very important, the expertise of a specialist can be considerable, since the batteries may be mounted in tight areas which require removing some components, like seats, before they can be checked properly.