The UK’s used car market ended 2025 with a flourish, as figures improved for the third consecutive year.
In total, 7,807,872 used cars changed hands between January and December, an increase of 2.2% compared to 2024. The latest figures from the SMMT, and analysed by Auto Repair Focus, show growth in each quarter of the year, as buyers continued to turn to older cars to meet their needs.
With 164,692 more used car transactions between 2024 and 2025, it is likely that the UK’s car parc will see another age increase. Across the year, just two months, February and November, saw dips in comparison, of 0.3% and 0.2% respectively. These results did little to impact the overall market, however.
On the face of it, the result means more potential work for independent workshops. As cars continue to change hands, and buyers turn towards the used market, the loyalties with dealer groups fade away. Drivers instead want to keep their cars on the road for longer, at the best price, and with greater convenience.
However, changes in the powertrain mix continued across 2025, and provide an interesting picture that the aftermarket needs to be aware of.
Mixed used car results in fourth quarter
The last quarter of the year is often the quietest in terms of used car transaction volumes, and this is a trend that continued into 2025. A total of 1,769,501 sales took place between October and December, a rise of 1.3% compared to the same period in 2024.
October was the strongest month of the three in terms of volume, with 674,801 sales and a 0.8% increase. November saw a 0.2% decline as 606,182 models changed hands. While representing the lowest transactions of the year, December’s 488,515 total was a rise of 4.1%. This was the second-largest volume increase after March’s 6.9% rise.
These results meant that the second half of the year saw 3,790,766 used car sales, an improvement of 2.1%. This was the weakest half of the year, but figures were still strong.
Petrol leads as diesel remains strong
Petrol increased its transaction volume in 2025, with 1.5% more sales taking place. In total, 4,430,901 units changed hands in the 12-month period. This gave the powertrain a 56.7% used car market share, although this was down by 0.4 percentage points (pp).
It seems, therefore, that petrol sales are stabilising. This may be due to two factors, a decline in the new-car market, and drivers holding on to their vehicles for longer.
Registrations of new petrol models fell by 8% in 2025, with carmakers prioritising hybrid and battery-electric vehicle (BEV) options. This has been occurring for a number of years, with the petrol market in freefall in the UK and across the rest of Europe. In times like this, drivers who want a petrol vehicle will look to the used car market, providing a benefit to independent workshops.
But as new-car registrations fall, so too does the supply into the used car market. With the idea around petrol engines not lasting as long as their diesel counterparts, drivers may be put off buying an older petrol model. Therefore, sales in the used car market will slow, as buyers decide to keep models they are more familiar with rather than risk a different option.
However, petrol’s dominance in the used car market is likely to remain for some time. Its share was over five times higher than that of full hybrids (HEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and BEVs combined.
Meanwhile, diesel transactions fell 3.3% year on year, as 2,586,279 passenger cars changed hands. The fuel type held 33.1% of total sales in 2025, down by 1.9pp.
This is in stark contrast to diesel’s new car market performance. Just 103,906 new models made it to UK roads, a fall of 15.6% year-on-year, and a 5.1% market share.
This is a crucial point to note for the aftermarket. Diesel has been in a spiral of decline over the last few years, and therefore supply into the used car market is low. That diesel is still seeing transactions of over 2.5 million passenger cars in a year suggests these are the models increasing the average car parc age. With that comes an increased need for servicing, and once again, that falls on the independent sector.
The figures also show that the internal-combustion engine market is far from over. In total, 89.9% of transactions in 2025 were petrol or diesel, and this only dipped by 2.1pp.
Electric is coming
While ICE models dominate, there is movement in the hybrid and electric vehicle sectors. This suggests that, while still low, considering EV repair is an important part of futureproofing your business.
HEVs saw 407,531 units sold in 2025, a rise of 33.1%. They gained a 5.2% market share in the 12-month period, up 1.2pp. PHEVs, however, declined by 4.4%, with just 88,032 transactions. These models are expensive, and it appears buyers would either go one way or another when it comes to their electrified choice.
This is backed by the growth of BEVs in the used car market. In total, 274,815 models changed hands, a rise of 45.9% year on year. With the average age of a used car around three-years-old when they first enter the market, there is going to be more BEV availability in the years ahead.
This may have only represented a 3.5% market share, up 1pp, but as the fastest growing used powertrain, the industry needs to be ready to service the technology.
Electrified drives made up just 9.9% of total sales in 2025, and it is likely this growth will continue across 2026, as more models become available, fleets start to change their parc, and drivers decide to experiment with BEVs, PHEVs and HEVs.
Fiesta reigns supreme
Despite production ending in 2023, the Ford Fiesta is still a popular choice amongst buyers.
The model achieved 303,090 transactions in 2025. This was a drop of 1% year on year, mostly due to supply in the market slowing. However, it remained comfortably ahead of the Vauxhall Corsa, which saw 247,853 sales, down 1.9% despite the model still being on sale.
The Volkswagen Golf took third, with 226,082 transactions, down 2.3%. The Ford Focus, another discontinued model, ended the year in fourth, with 218,962 sales, a drop of 4%. The top four best-selling cars remained the same as 2024, but the BMW 3 Series jumped into fifth with 157,343 transactions, a 0.8% decline.
These figures suggest that more models than ever are being sold in the used car market, opening up a more diverse mix of brands, both new and old, that workshops also need to be prepared for.
Overall, the UK’s used car market is in good health, and is performing better than the new car sector. However, it is the fluctuations within, as powertrain and model diversity increases, that the aftermarket needs to remain aware of.
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