Used car market returns to growth as EV sales accelerate
The UK’s used car market returned to growth in the second quarter, up 0.7% as 2,009,318 vehicles changed hands, according to the latest figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The performance marked the first Q2 since 2021 in which volumes surpassed two million units, with transactions just -1.2% below pre-pandemic levels. This helped offset the marginal decline recorded in Q1, delivering overall market growth of 0.2% year to date, with 4,025,550 transactions.
In the second quarter, battery electric car transactions rose 67.0% to 110,761 units, the strongest quarterly growth since Q1 2024. Demand rose particularly sharply in April and May (up 110.9% and 57.6% respectively compared with 37.8% in June), coinciding with fuel price rises linked to the Middle East conflict and set against a relatively weak performance last year when VED changes came into effect. Between April and June, more than one in 18 buyers (5.5%) made the switch, up from around one in 30 (3.3%) a year ago, reflecting the growing choice of models entering the market.
Hybrid electric vehicle sales also rose, up 31.2% to 130,825 units, increasing their market share to 6.5% from 5.0% in the same period last year. Plug-in hybrid transactions, meanwhile, fell by -6.8% to 22,856 units, accounting for 1.1% of overall demand, down from 1.2% in 2025.
Petrol remained the most popular fuel type, despite transactions falling by -1.2% to 1,121,243, while diesel sales continued to decline, down -7.2% to 620,045, reflecting shorter supply from the new car market. Even so, almost nine in 10 (86.7%) buyers still chose conventionally fuelled cars in the quarter.
Superminis remained Britain’s best-selling used car type, accounting for 31.7% of demand, with volumes rising 0.2%. The lower medium segment followed, with a 26.6% market share and a 0.2% increase. Dual purpose cars recorded the strongest growth, up 7.4% to secure 17.7% of overall sales.
Following the trend in the new car market, monochrome colours dominated, with more than one million used cars sold in black, grey or white (1,134,536). All three recorded growth in the quarter, up 0.7%, 4.1%, and 4.7%, respectively, and together accounted for more than half (56.5%) of the market. Blue ranked fourth despite a -1.1% decline, while silver retained fifth place despite a -6.4% decline in sales.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said, “A return to growth is good news for motorists and the wider automotive sector, with sales of used EVs rising particularly strongly as more choice reaches more buyers. As the used market is where most people buy their cars, plentiful and affordable supply is vital, however, increasingly unrealistic targets in the new car market risk constraining that supply and pushing up costs. Urgent regulatory reform is needed to deliver a transition that works for every driver.”
