Autotrader: Toyota Yaris and Jaecoo 7 lead used car sales pace

Used cars are taking an average of 27 days to sell in October, with hybrids occupying the three fastest-selling places, according to Autotrader.

The average time for car dealers to sell used stock is three days shorter than September and two days quicker than the same period last year.

The figures come as Autotrader forecasts used car transactions will rise 1.9% to 7.95 million in 2026, the highest annual total since 2017.

Toyota Yaris leads fastest sellers

The five-to-10-year-old Toyota Yaris petrol hybrid leads October’s rankings, taking an average of 14 days to sell.

The Jaecoo 7 plug-in hybrid aged up to one year follows at 14.5 days, ahead of the three-to-five-year-old Hyundai Bayon petrol hybrid at 17 days.

Demand extends across different ages and powertrains. Petrol BMW 1 Series models aged 10 to 15 years and electric Kia Niros aged three to five years are both taking 18 days to sell.

Despite hybrids leading the individual model rankings, electric cars are the fastest-selling fuel type overall at 25 days.

Full and mild hybrids, alongside plug-in hybrids, average 26 days, followed by petrol cars at 27 days and diesels at 32 days.

Three-to-five-year-old cars are the quickest-selling age group overall at 25 days. Among electric cars, those aged five to 10 years sell fastest, averaging 20 days.

Fastest-selling used cars: October 2026

Source: Autotrader.

Diesel demand falls faster than supply

Autotrader’s September data showed demand for used diesels fell 19.2% year on year, compared with a 6.8% reduction in supply.

Demand for used electric cars increased 40%, outpacing a 26% rise in supply.

Three diesel models feature among October’s 10 slowest sellers, including the five-to-10-year-old Kia Sportage at 35 days.

By comparison, petrol hybrid Sportages aged up to one year and three to five years are among the fastest sellers, taking 19 and 19.5 days respectively.

The slowest-selling car in the rankings is the petrol Nissan Juke aged 10 to 15 years, averaging 42.5 days.

Marc Palmer, head of strategy and insights at Autotrader, said faster stock turnover was an encouraging sign of the used car market’s underlying health.

He said: “Despite continued economic pressures, cars are selling faster than both last month and last year.”

With transactions forecast to reach their highest level since 2017, Palmer said the market was carrying momentum into the final months of 2026.

He also urged dealers to identify where demand for diesel remained strong.

Palmer added: “But slower demand doesn’t mean diesel is disappearing; there are still parts of the market where it remains an important choice.”

Slowest-selling used cars: October 2026

Source: Autotrader. Rank 1 indicates the slowest-selling car.