Secondhand ELECTRIC Cars help drive used car sales over 2 million in Q1

Used car sales in the UK topped two million in Q1 2025 for the first time post-pandemic, with used EV sales up by 58.5%.

There’s no doubt we’re living through a cost-of-living crisis at the moment, with most of us tightening our belts as prices rise despite inflation falling.

So it’s no surprise that used car sales in the UK continue to grow as new cars become unaffordable for most, with nine successive quarters of growth culminating in used car sales topping two million in Q1 2025 for the first time post-COVID.

A total of 2,020,990 used cars changed hands in the first three months of 2025, with petrol car sales accounting for 1,140,855 and diesel 679,739, meaning ICE cars took a 90.5% share of the market.

Of the remaining sales, Hybrids grew by 30.2% to 98,830, PHEV by 14% to 23,540 and EVs by 58.5% to 65,850.

It’s clear that a growing number of used car buyers are happy to jump into a two-year-old electric car at probably half the price of a new one, as new private buyers continue to eschew new EVs and their high prices. But it’s going to take an awful long time for EVs to be a big part of the used car market in the UK, with only a 3.3% market share at present.

SMMT said:

This positive performance saw the greenest powertrain continue its streak as the fastest growing, a trend which must continue to deliver the UK’s net zero goals. Long term success, however, relies heavily on healthy demand for new electric cars, making government incentives paramount.