As I reported here last month, in 2023 the Ford Puma topped the UK’s new car sales chart for the year. It was followed by the Nissan Qashqai, Vauxhall Corsa, Kia Sportage, Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Tucson, Mini Hatch, Nissan Juke, Audi A3 and Vauxhall Mokka. This selection making up the UK’s top ten places, in the order as listed. The picture for secondhand cars however, looked quite different, based on demand figures for 2023 recently released by the leading used car specialists Auto Trader.
The most and least popular used cars in the UK
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The UK’s total used passenger car market in 2023 stretched to a massive 7,242,692 units, a 5.1 per cent increase overall over the previous year. The best-selling used car overall in terms of units sold remained the ubiquitous Ford Fiesta, as in many previous years. Superminis and hatchbacks overall remain the most popular types of secondhand vehicle, accounting for 32.1 per cent of overall UK used car sales.
The UK’s top ten best-selling used cars
Ford Fiesta: 308,017
Vauxhall Corsa: 237,705
Volkswagen Golf: 227,427
Ford Focus: 223,417
Vauxhall Astra: 160,736
MINI Hatch: 158,298
BMW 3-Series: 155,100
Volkswagen Polo: 141,135
Nissan Qashqai: 120,286
Audi A3: 118,805
The list of second hand cars and marques most in demand in the UK’s used car market was calculated on the average number of days a particular model remained in stock before being sold and the picture was quite different. Kia toppled Ford to end 2023 as the most in demand marque, with Kia models taking on average just 15 days to sell.
That trend is continuing so far in 2024 (although only one month in), with the Kia Sportage not only being the UK’s best-selling new car, but also the most in demand previously-owned vehicle. Toyota was placed second, sitting on a used forecourt for only 16 days on average last year. This Oriental duo were followed by Mercedes-Benz and Audi, with a three-pointed star model taking 16 days to sell and the car with four rings sitting around for 18 days on average.
Despite Kia heading up the fastest sales rate for used cars though as a manufacturer, overall a Ford was the model that was the most in demand, with the popular Kuga SUV taking only 13 days on average to sell secondhand, reflecting the overall market trend for both new and used cars with SUVs and crossovers proving to be in strongest demand.
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Petrol-powered internal combustion engines remained in strong demand with British used car buyers. Diesel power plants predictably witnessed a decline with larger diesels (especially saloons) now being a higher risk buy due to changing ULEZ standards/regulations, plus higher running costs overall.
Used electric cars reached a record 118,973 sales, an increase of almost 91 per cent over 2022. Despite this growing interest and demand, electric cars accounted for just 1.6 per cent of the overall British used car market. Sales of previously-owned hybrids and plug-in hybrids also saw huge increases, with all ‘alternative fuel’ cars taking 5.6 per cent of the UK used car market last year.
According to Auto Trader’s data, in 2023 a used car remained in sales stock for 41 days on average on its website following a dealer listing it. On average petrol cars took 41 days to sell, diesel 42 days, but used alternative fuel cars (electric and hybrids) remained on the Auto Trader site for just 36 days.
Behind the Ford Kuga as the fastest-selling used model, most in-demand by British buyers in 2023 were the following:
1. Ford Kuga (petrol, up to one year old): 13 days in stock
2. Mercedes-Benz A Class Hatch (petrol hybrid, up to one year old): 14 days
3. Mercedes-Benz A Class Saloon (petrol hybrid, up to one year old): 15 days
4. Kia Niro (electric, up to one year old): 16 days
5. Kia Sportage (up to one year old): 17 days
6. Kia Niro (petrol hybrid, up to one year old): 17 days
7. Skoda Karoq (diesel, 1-3 years old): 17.5 days
8. Audi A3 (diesel, 15 years+ old): 17.5 days
9. Audi E-Tron (electric, 3-5 years old): 18 days
10. Mercedes-Benz GLA (petrol hybrid, 3-5 years old): 18.5 days
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Conversely, the slowest-selling used cars that sat in dealer stocks for far longer than the average – more than twice as long in the case of the low-demand diesel-powered Audi A4. Once the darling of British forecourt and driveway, the lustre of the premium German car brands is perhaps finally waining as last year they accounted for half of the bottom ten used cars least in-demand in the UK, with A4 topping the list of least-wanted secondhand cars. Here’s that least-wanted bottom ten:
1. Audi A4 Saloon (diesel, up to one year old): 95 days in stock
2. Subaru XV (petrol hybrid, 1-3 years old): 84.5 days
3. Maserati Lavante (petrol, up to one year old): 83 days
4. BMW 4-Series (diesel hybrid, up to one year old): 81.5 days
5. BMW 6-Series (diesel, 1-15 years old): 81 days
6. Lexus UX 300e (electric, 1-3 years old:) 80 days
7. Audi A6 Saloon (diesel, up to one old): 77 days
8. Fiat Tipo (petrol; up to one year old): 77 days
9. Mercedes-Benz G Class (petrol, 3-5 years old): 76 days
10. Ferrari Portofino (petrol, 3-5 years old): 75 days
It’s rare to see a Ferrari appearing on any ‘bottom ten’ listing, but the Portofino is possibly not quite as scarce as a your ‘average’ Maranello sportscar with a prancing horse on its nose. The used values of each of these slow-selling secondhand cars will suffer accordingly with the valuation assessment Industry experts (such as Glasses and CAP) reducing the valuations of these models to reflect their falling demand and desirability. So, if you’re hunting for a large premium secondhand diesel saloon, now could be a very good time to buy!
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