An estimated 7.8m used car transactions were completed in 2025, following a 2% growth in retail sales on Autotrader compared to 2024.
Robust consumer demand and stabilised pricing have been stated as reasons for this growth.
Marc Palmer, Head of Strategy & Insights at Autotrader, said: “The used car market has shown remarkable stability and resilience throughout 2025. Ending the year with sales volumes up and prices holding firm provides a very positive foundation for the months ahead.
“While we recognise that many retailers face ongoing challenges with supply and margin pressure, the fundamental demand for car ownership remains the bedrock of this market.
“The combination of strong demand and stable prices offer real opportunities for retailers who embrace a data-driven approach—those who pay close attention to the trends and insights will be well placed to capitalise.”
December saw a positive c.4% YoY uplift in sales volumes. Last year, there was a shortfall of around 1.8m 3-5-year-old cars compared to 2019, which fuelled competition for available stock, and a notable shift in the balance of the market.
Independent retailers grew their share of 1–5-year-old cars, while franchised retailers saw their share fall from 70% in 2024 to 68%. Franchised sales remained largely flat (-0.5%) over the year, while independent sales grew on average around 4%.
Throughout Q4, car-buying activity remained robust, with visits matching 2024’s high and averaging 32 site visits every second. Over the course of 2025, Autotrader saw nearly one billion visits (c. 982m).
Autotrader’s Retail Price Index shows that average prices declined just -0.2% over the year.
In December, the average price of a used car (£17,018) was flat YoY, following four consecutive months of growth, whilst month-on-month, prices eased by 1%.
Whilst both petrol (£14,877) and diesel (£14,025) values outperformed the market in December, rising 1.5% and 2.5% YoY respectively, prices for used EVs were down -7.4% YoY (£24,029).
EVs are selling much faster than their ICE counterparts. In December, the average used EV took 30 days to sell: five days faster than both the market average and their petrol counterparts (35 days respectively).
