Used Electric Car Sales Surge 32% In Q1, But Petrol Still Powers Nearly Nine Out Of Every Ten Transactions

The UK used car market crossed two million transactions in the first quarter of 2026. The total was 2,016,232 vehicles changing hands between January and March, according to figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. That is down just 0.2 per cent on the same period last year, ending a run of 12 consecutive quarters of growth.

The headline number is flat. The story underneath it is not.

Battery electric vehicles are now the fastest-growing segment of the used car market by a significant margin. Used BEV sales rose 32 per cent to 86,943 units in Q1, the highest quarterly figure ever recorded. One in every 23 used car buyers chose an electric vehicle, up from around one in 30 a year ago. Market share for used BEVs now stands at 4.3 per cent.

Hybrids are also growing strongly. Used hybrid electric vehicle sales rose 27.6 per cent to 128,039 units, taking 6.4 per cent of the market. Plug-in hybrids moved in the opposite direction, falling 8.9 per cent to 20,021 units and holding just 1 per cent of transactions.

Combined, electrified vehicles of all types accounted for 11.7 per cent of used car sales in the first quarter. That is a record, but it still leaves conventional fuel dominating the market by a wide margin.

Petrol And Diesel Still Account For Nearly Nine In Ten Sales

Petrol remained the most popular fuel type by a long distance. Transactions dipped 0.6 per cent but still totalled 1,147,969 units. Diesel fell more sharply, down 6.7 per cent to 629,987 units, reflecting the reduced supply of new diesel cars feeding through to the second-hand market over the past several years.

Together, petrol and diesel accounted for 88.2 per cent of all used car transactions in Q1. That number will continue to fall as more electric and hybrid vehicles filter through from the new car market, but the pace of that shift depends heavily on what happens with new car sales.

What Buyers Are Actually Choosing

Superminis remain the most popular used purchase in Britain. Sales dipped 1 per cent but still totalled 648,229 units, accounting for 32.2 per cent of the market. Lower medium cars were the next biggest segment at 546,249 units, up 0.2 per cent.

The strongest growth came from dual purpose vehicles, which rose 5.4 per cent to 357,295 units. That mirrors the new car market, where SUVs and crossovers have been the dominant growth segment for years. Multipurpose vehicles saw the steepest decline, falling 6.5 per cent to 69,886 units.

On colour, black and grey held the top two spots, with white climbing back into third place after 3.1 per cent growth. Cream recorded the strongest percentage growth at 11.7 per cent, although on tiny volumes of just 1,399 units. Pink had the steepest fall, down 17.8 per cent to 1,214 units. Maroon was the least popular colour on the market, with just 1,108 transactions.

Why The Average UK Car Is Now Nearly A Decade Old

One of the most telling figures in the SMMT data is not about what people are buying. It is about what is already on the road.

The average age of a car on UK roads now stands at 9.7 years. That is up from eight years in 2019. The fleet is getting older, and that has direct consequences for anyone buying used.

An ageing fleet means fewer newer vehicles filtering down to the second-hand market. It means the used cars that are available tend to be older, higher-mileage and further from their original warranty period. For buyers looking for a used EV specifically, the supply constraint is even more pronounced. The new electric cars that were sold in 2021 and 2022 are only now starting to appear on the used market in meaningful numbers, and there are still far fewer of them than there are petrol or diesel equivalents.

A healthy new car market is the engine that drives used car supply. The SMMT’s latest industry outlook expects new car sales to rise 3.6 per cent this year to 2.093 million units, but the forecast for battery electric vehicles in the new car market has been downgraded from 28.5 per cent to 26.8 per cent following a weaker than expected first quarter.

What This Means If You Are Buying A Used Car Right Now

If you are in the market for a used car today, the numbers point to a few practical realities.

Used EVs are more available and more affordable than they have ever been. The 32 per cent growth in transactions reflects both increased supply from the new car market and falling prices on the second-hand market. Manufacturers have invested heavily in new electric models over the past three years, and those vehicles are now reaching the age where first owners trade them in. If you have been waiting for used EV prices to come down, they are coming down.

Petrol remains the safe and abundant choice. Nearly nine out of every ten used cars sold are still conventionally fuelled. If you need a specific make, model and specification, you will almost certainly find more options in petrol than in electric, and the price gap between equivalent petrol and electric models on the used market remains significant for most segments.

Diesel is in long-term decline and supply is thinning. The 6.7 per cent drop in used diesel transactions reflects the fact that fewer new diesel cars have been sold in recent years. If you are specifically looking for a used diesel, particularly a newer one, the pool of available vehicles is shrinking and will continue to shrink.

SUVs and crossovers are where the growth is. Dual purpose vehicles were the only major segment to see meaningful growth this quarter. If you are selling a used SUV, the market is in your favour. If you are buying one, expect competition and firm prices.

The Broader Picture

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “The UK’s used car market remained flat in the first quarter, held back by weakness in March in comparison with a very strong performance in 2025. Better news is the record demand for used electric vehicles, as growing choice from manufacturers feeds through into the second-hand market. High fuel prices, given the conflict in Iran, may increase demand even further, but to maintain this momentum, every fiscal and policy lever must be pulled to ensure a healthy new car market that delivers zero emission vehicles that can in future flow through to the used market.”

The used car market is a trailing indicator of what happens in the new car market. The electric vehicles being sold new today will become the used bargains of 2028 and 2029. The pace at which that happens depends on new car sales volumes, manufacturer pricing strategies and government policy on incentives and infrastructure.

For now, the direction is clear even if the pace is gradual. Electric is growing faster than any other fuel type on the used market. But with petrol and diesel still accounting for nearly nine in every ten transactions, the full transition is measured in years, not quarters.

Sources:

• SMMT, Used car sales Q1 2026
• SMMT, Press release: EVs charge up used car market with record sales, 12 May 2026