It feels like Dodge actually tried pretty hard to get people interested in the Charger Daytona EV. Whether it's because Charger buyers don't have any interest in EVs or because EV buyers don't want a Dodge, though, sales haven't exactly been brisk. Through the first half of this year, Dodge has only sold 4,299 Charger Daytonas. Since we also know EVs depreciate like crazy, I assumed you'd be able to pick less-desirable versions up for like $35,000, but as it turns out, that's not the case. If you want a half-price Charger Daytona, you're going to have to wait a little longer.
Granted, it isn't like these things are depreciation-proof. The least-expensive Charger Daytona I was able to find in the U.S. is a 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T down in Florida that's listed for $41,987. That's still almost as much as most people make in a year, but we're also talking about a car with 496 horsepower and a sticker price of $62,385 (Peel Out orange paint adds $795, while the Stage 1 power kit adds 40 hp and $1,600). Oh, and did I mention this particular car has only 652 miles on it? Talk about some serious depreciation.
We don't actually know the story on this particular car, but with mileage that low, it sounds like someone bought it, tried charging it a few times and just gave up on EV ownership, so they traded it in at a huge loss. There could have always been something else that forced them to sell it quickly, but oh well. There's no telling what the dealer paid to take the car off their hands, but just going on list price and original sticker, we're still looking at more than $31 a mile. Oof. And that, my friends, is why you should never buy a Stellantis product on the base wheels.
At this point, you're probably reading this and thinking, "Wait, more than $31 a mile is absurd depreciation, so why are you complaining about how expensive it is?" To that, I say it's not about this specific car. It's about the fact that this was the lowest-priced Charger Daytona I could find. Basically, if a 2025 Charger Daytona R/T with 652 miles is already listed for $41,000, wouldn't you expect to find other Charger Daytona R/Ts for less? That's so few miles.
Now, the U.S. is a big country, and it's possible you might be able to find one with a clean title for less locally, perhaps on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. I'm not saying one selling in the thirties can't possibly exist. I just kind of assumed that since the typical EV buyer probably isn't interested in a Dodge, and the typical Dodge buyer probably isn't interested in an EV, these things would depreciate even faster than they already are. For example, while this other Charger Daytona R/T isn't much more expensive, it has nearly twice the miles of the other car. Huh.
If I had to guess, I'd say the dealers taking these cars in are just guessing at what they'll sell for. Obviously, they have software that helps them track pricing, but there aren't a ton of used Charger Daytonas in the first place since the car just went on sale in January. Also, I'd be willing to bet the vast majority of Charger Daytonas are leased, which means we'll probably see a much larger number of used examples hit the market in another 18 months, driving the prices down even further.
Also, yes, I'm aware it's a little silly to expect a 50% discount on a car that's only been in production for six months, but that's why you look up what cars are selling for instead of listening to the folks on the internet who insist absolutely nobody wants a certain car. Clearly, some people do. Just not enough to pay anywhere close to sticker. But also, more than $31 a mile? Holy crap.