Sales of electric used cars up 32% to hit record level

Neil Lancefield, Press Association Transport Correspondent

Sales of used pure electric cars reached a new high in the first three months of the year, figures show.

Some 86,943 of the vehicles changed hands between the start of January and the end of March, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

That was a 32.0% increase on the same period last year and was the most for any quarter on record.

Pure electrics also took an all-time high market share of 4.3%.

The SMMT said the performance was a result of increased choice, discounting and Government incentives for new electric cars, which filter into the used market.

The overall used car market was virtually flat in the first quarter, with a 0.2% drop in transactions to 2,016,232.

Sales of used petrol cars fell by 0.6% to 1,147,969 while the decline in transactions for diesels was even sharper at 6.7% (629,987 units).

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes 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.”

Ian Plummer, chief customer officer at online vehicle marketplace Autotrader, said the used car market is “evolving”.

He went on: “Used EV transactions are up, and market share is rising.

“Rising prices at the pump – driven by global instability – are prompting more people to reassess their running costs, helping to accelerate this shift even further.”

Ginny Buckley, chief executive of electric car-buying advice website Electrifying.com, said: “Used electric vehicle sales are booming because people are doing the maths and liking what they see – lower running costs, fewer moving parts, cheaper servicing, and batteries that are proving far more durable than many critics predicted.

“In many cases, the battery will outlast the car itself.”