Used vehicles flying off the forecourts as shares develop in April

Used automobiles averaged 28 days to promote on forecourts in April, the quickest fee up to now this yr, in keeping with the most recent Motors Market View.

Automobile supermarkets led the way in which with vehicles spending simply 20 days in inventory, carefully adopted by franchised sellers at 22 days. Independents achieved their quickest gross sales of the yr at 47 days.

An inflow of automobiles generated by the March plate-change additionally noticed seller inventory ranges develop by 5% month-on-month, however stocking ranges year-to-date are flat.

The common value of a used automotive on Motors was £17,541, up £134 (0.8%) month-on-month (MoM) and £154 (0.9%) larger than 12 months in the past.

Nevertheless, month-to-month costs have now been averaging across the £17,500 mark since October 2024.

Costs throughout the seller sectors had been totally on a par with March with franchised websites down £32 to £23,602 and automotive supermarkets up £39 to £16,794.

Whereas independents had been up £98 to £12,853, largely pushed by a 2% rise within the common value of vehicles aged over 10 years, the most important value motion by age for the month.

For the third consecutive month the common value of EVs (£23,849) tracked beneath hybrids (£24,820).

Sturdy demand for used Ford Pumas

The quickest promoting used automotive in April was the Ford Puma, with petrol fashions beneath six months outdated, spending lower than per week in inventory (six days).

This additional cements the Puma’s place because the religious successor to the Fiesta because the UK’s hottest automotive.

Whereas probably the most seen listings on Motors had been for vehicles priced £10,000-£14,999.

Franchised sellers noticed the most important uplift with part-exchanges, generated by the introduction of the 25-plate, rising inventories by 11% from 55 to 61 items (MoM).

Automobile grocery store shares elevated from 142 to 149 items and independents had been up from 37 to 38 items.

Petrol continues to account for half of all vehicles listed on Motors, nearly unchanged YoY, whereas diesel dipped from 35% to 33%.

Hybrids and EVs each grew their YoY market share by two share factors to 10% and seven% respectively.

Lucy Tugby, Motors advertising director, mentioned: “April noticed a continuation of the tendencies now we have now been monitoring for a number of months, with sellers benefiting from market stability and robust costs.

“Though the late Easter break and college holidays inevitably took some used automotive consumers out of the market, sellers remained energetic on-line and had been rewarded by the quickest gross sales of the yr up to now.

“The processing of part-exchanges and de-fleets from the corporate automotive and leasing sectors, triggered by the March plate-change, noticed franchised sellers and automotive supermarkets enhance their inventory ranges which we anticipate to generate loads of on-line advertising exercise over the approaching weeks.”