Demand for electric vehicles drives higher used-car sales

UK sales of used electric cars rose 81.1 per cent between April and June, compared with the same period last year

About 31,000 used battery electric cars were sold in the second quarter of the year. PA Wire

A surge in demand for electric vehicles is driving the UK's second-hand car market, according to the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

During the second quarter of this year 1.83 million cars changed hands in Britain, a 4.1 per cent increase on the same April to June period last year.

Within that, 31,000 used battery electric cars were sold, which is an increase of 81.8 per cent. EVs now account for 1.7 per cent of the used-car market.

“It's great to see a recharged new car sector supporting demand for used cars and, in particular, helping more people to get behind the wheel of an electric vehicle,” said Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT.

“Meeting the undoubted appetite for pre-owned EVs will depend on sustaining a buoyant new-car market and on the provision of accessible, reliable charging infrastructure powered by affordable, green energy.

“This, in turn, will allow more people to drive zero [emission cars] at a price point suited to them, helping accelerate delivery of our environmental goals.”

Despite the number of total used car transactions increasing by 72,583 over the quarter, the total is still nearly 10 per cent below pre-pandemic levels.

Nonetheless, a reduction in problems in the supply chain has driven sales growth in every month so far this year, the SMMT said.

“With wait times for new cars easing, more people are selling their current cars to get their hands on something fresh off the production line,” said Alex Buttle, co-founder of used-car marketplace, Motorway.co.uk.

“This has naturally led to a steady supply of high-quality used cars hitting the market and, with it, some great deals for savvy motorists.”

With 75,000 transactions, the Ford Fiesta took the chequered flag for the best-selling used car between April and June.

Ford last month stopped making the Fiesta at its factory in Cologne in Germany, before the site being modified to make more room for producing EVs.

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