Pre-registered advert volumes surged 30% in October month-on-month, according to the latest used car data from Brego.
It said this reflected continued pressure from new car registration activity and adding further competition for used car retailers.
The Brego report is the latest to flag-up what is increasingly a push market.
Cap hpi recently reported that competition in the new car market is affecting used values, with manufacturer discounts and pre-registered stock putting pressure on nearly new prices.
Solera cap hpi expects further pressure on used values as wholesale supply increases towards the end of the year.
According to Vertu Motors CEO Robert Forrester, the UK is now firmly in a push market with widespread incentives or inducements to shift product.
“There is a significant increase in general pre-registrations, which is something we have not talked about in a few years. We are seeing the market distorted now by pre-registrations,” Forrester told Motor Trader.
Overall, according to Brego, used car sales fell by 6.9% in October compared with September, while advertised stock continued to increase, according to the latest Car Market Insight Report from Brego.
The slowdown in sales coincided with a 0.8% increase in total used car adverts, suggesting that stock levels are beginning to build ahead of the
year-end period. Trade adverts increased by 2.3%, while private adverts fell by 1.9%.
Despite the fall in overall sales, average days to sale improved by 8.8% to 39.1 days, suggesting that vehicles finding buyers were moving more quickly than in September.
Average advertised used car prices fell by 3.5% to £18,117, while EV and hybrid advertised prices declined by 0.7% and 3.8% respectively. EV advert volumes decreased by 3.0%, contrasting with a 3.6% increase in hybrid availability.
