Used car market bounces back to pre-pandemic levels

Almost two million second-hand cars changed hands in the second quarter of 2025 – the highest level since 2021.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), it was the tenth consecutive quarter of growth, bringing the total number of pre-owned cars in the first half of 2025 to 4,017,106.

Petrol remained the best-selling fuel type, with transactions rising 1.5% to 1,134,387, while diesel declined 4.3% to 664,644.

That said, petrol and diesel vehicles still accounted for 90.1% of all cars changing hands.

One in 10 used cars were electrified, with hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) transactions increasing by 27.7% to 100,127, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) up by 10.3% to 24,370 units, and electric vehicles (EVs) up 40.0% to record 68,721.

Smaller cars retained their popularity, with superminis continuing to hold the highest share of the market (31.8%).

In line with the new car market, black, grey and white (the latter shunting blue from the top three) were the quarter’s best-selling colours, together commanding more than half (55.2%) of transactions.

Britain’s Top 10 most popular used cars

1)  Ford Fiesta – 76,486
2) Vauxhall Corsa – 62,905
3) Volkswagen Golf – 58,144
4) Ford Focus – 55,333
5) MINI – 41,887
6) BMW 3 Series – 41,832
7) Volkswagen Polo – 38,642
8) Vauxhall Astra – 38,188
9) Nissan Qashqai – 36,161
10) Audi A3 – 32,135

(Q2 2025, SMMT)