Used car sales rose 0.5% in Q3 while electric growth eased to 23%

The UK's used car market grew 0.5% in the third quarter to 2,030,619 transactions, the best third quarter since 2021, according to the SMMT's latest figures. The headline is steady rather than spectacular. The number underneath it changed: used battery electric sales rose 23.2% to 97,625, about a third of the 67% growth recorded in the previous quarter.

The electric share fell to 4.8% from the record 5.5% set between April and June, though it remains above the 3.9% of a year earlier. One in 20 used buyers chose a battery electric car, against about one in 26 in the third quarter of 2025.

Two quarters of growth, and a 2021 comparison

The overall market has grown for two consecutive quarters, after a marginal decline at the start of the year. Year to date, 6,056,169 cars have changed hands, up 0.3% and the best first nine months since 2019. The 2021 comparison is closer than the headline suggests: 2,034,463 cars were sold in the third quarter of that year, so this quarter is 3,844 sales, or 0.2%, below it.

James Hosking, managing director of AA Cars, said the back-to-back quarters "underline the resilience of the market despite continued financial pressures on motorists". He added that they suggest the industry is heading into 2027 in good health (Transport + Energy, 9 November).

Electric growth eased from the spring's record

The 67% recorded in Q2 was always going to be hard to match. The SMMT noted that the surge coincided with fuel price rises linked to the Middle East conflict, set against a weak April 2025 comparison when VED changes came into effect (SMMT, 11 August). The third quarter of 2025 was a stronger base, with used electric cars at 3.9% of sales against 3.3% in the second quarter of that year.

Even so, the sequential move is sharp. Used electric transactions fell 11.9% from the 110,761 recorded in Q2, while the total market grew. The share dropped 0.7 percentage points.

Year to date the direction is unchanged. Used battery electric sales are up 39.6% to 295,524, and the SMMT credits growing model choice reaching the second-hand market. That is the mechanism our report on the Q2 figures set out: strong new electric years become strong used electric years two or three years later.

Hybrids outgrew electric cars

Used hybrid sales rose 25.9% to 135,204, a faster rate than battery electric, and their share climbed to 6.7% from 5.3%. Plug-in hybrids fell for a second quarter, down 13.3% to 20,911 after a 6.8% decline between April and June (SMMT, 11 August). They now account for 1.0% of used sales.

Hybrids outsell plug-in hybrids by more than six to one, a gap that has widened from about 4.5 to one a year earlier. Much of the recent electrification is coming through cars that do not need to be plugged in.

Petrol and diesel still take nine sales in ten

Petrol remained the most popular fuel type with 1,148,576 transactions and a 56.6% share, just 271 fewer than a year earlier. Diesel fell 5.3% to 623,354, a 30.7% share, as the shrinking new diesel market feeds through to used supply. Non-electrified cars accounted for 87.5% of sales, down from 89.5%.

The gap with the new market is stark. Battery electric cars took 32.0% of new car registrations in October (SMMT, 5 November), against 4.8% of used transactions in the third quarter. The used parc is large, and the electric cars now reaching it were a small share of new sales when they were first registered.

The same models top the table

The best-selling used car was the Ford Fiesta, with 73,500 transactions, followed by the Vauxhall Corsa on 60,088 and the Volkswagen Golf on 56,243. The Ford Focus, Volkswagen Polo and Nissan Qashqai fill the next three places. Superminis took 32.0% of the market, lower medium cars 26.6%, and dual purpose models grew fastest at 8.5% to 368,428.

The table reflects the parc rather than the showroom. The Fiesta and Focus are no longer in production, and the cars that dominate used sales are the ones that sold in volume when they were new. Colour makes the same point: black, grey and white accounted for 56.7% of transactions, with black alone at 21.2%.

Regionally, the South East led with 295,279 transactions, ahead of the North West on 222,297 and the West Midlands on 209,251. Scotland recorded 158,299 and Wales 108,522.

What it means for a buyer

The affordability case for a used electric car is stronger than it has been. The AA's latest EV Readiness Index found that new electric cars cost about 25% more than comparable petrol models, while the premium in the used market is about 1% (Transport + Energy, 9 November).

Values reflect the demand. Cazana's October data, reported by Motor Trader, found used EV values at three years rose about 2%, or £400, the seventh consecutive monthly increase, and are up more than 11% this year. Without electric cars, average values would have fallen 0.3% (Motor Trader, 9 November).

Choice is improving, though stock remains thin. One in 20 used sales is electric, so the model and price a buyer wants may not be available nearby. Petrol and hybrid stock is deeper, and diesel supply is getting thinner. Our October values report sets out how those price gaps are moving.

The supply question

The SMMT's warning is about where the next wave of used cars comes from. Used supply mirrors new sales from three or four years earlier. Manufacturers are discounting new electric cars to meet the ZEV mandate, which supports volumes now and puts pressure on trade-in values later. Mike Hawes, the SMMT's chief executive, said the new car market must remain strong, "underpinned by measures that boost EV demand" (SMMT, 9 November).

The policy backdrop matters for used buyers. The government is expected to cut the 2030 ZEV target this week, with reports pointing to a reduction from 80% to about 60% (our report on the plan). A softer new-car target would ease the discounting pressure the SMMT describes. It would also slow the flow of electric cars into the used market later this decade.

For now the used market is growing slowly, and its electric share is still rising year on year. The pace has come off the spring's record. Buyers get more choice and better prices than a year ago, without the rush that defined the second quarter.