Mini leads used car margin hot list in February 2025

New data from Dealer Auction has revealed the top 10 models for used car retail margins in February.

The Mini Hatch provided dealers with the highest profit potential in the sub-£10,000 retail bracket in February 2025.

The latest edition of the Retail Margin Monitor showed the premium supermini offered dealers an average retail margin of £2,050, followed by the Ford Kuga (£2,025) and BMW 1 Series (£1,975).

The Nissan Qashqai was the fastest seller, retailing in 28 days on average with a healthy average margin of £1,750.

It was a competitive top 10, with just £50 separating places six to 10.

There was also plenty of variety compared to January 2025; only four vehicles retained their spot in the chart.

Most notably, the previous month’s top profit-maker, the Mazda CX-5, dropped out.

Kieran TeeBoon, Dealer Auction’s marketplace director, said: “While February 2025 looks like a major shake-up, it could in fact be a return to the ‘norm’.

“When we look more closely, the latest data actually bears more resemblance to the 2024 annual round-up. Could January 2025 have been the anomaly? Time will tell!”

Top 10 models by retail margin for models retailing below £10k

It was a similar trend for data for models retailing above £10,000, which also bore major similarities to the 2024 round-up.

While January 2025 saw stalwart Land Rover models failing to make the top two spots for the first time since 2023, order was restored in February.

The Discovery Sport topped the chart with an average retail margin of £3,850, followed by the Range Rover Evoque (£3,375).

Interestingly, the Ford Kuga and Kia Sportage appeared in both the under- and over-£10,000 categories, highlighting their widespread appeal.

TeeBoon said: “This overlap emphasises the Kuga and Sportage’s strong demand across different buyer segments, budgets and preferences. This versatility is a real advantage for dealers – whether it’s an affordable older model or a more recent higher-spec version, they continue to attract steady interest and turn over well.”

In contrast to the model charts, the platform observed month-on-month consistency for brands.

In the top 10 makes for models with a retail value of under £10,000, 90% of the same brands stayed in the chart from January, and the only change was Mazda, which – mirroring the CX-5’s fall from grace in the model table – dropped out of the brand chart, while Volvo entered the fray.

BMW continued to rule the roost at the top of the chart; its average profit of £2,100 was followed by Mini (£1,975) and Audi (£1,925).

In the top 10 for makes with models retailing above £10,000, the usual suspects performed well: Land Rover came top with an average retail margin of £4,200, followed by BMW (£3,350) and Volvo (£3,300).

TeeBoon concluded: “The UK’s used car market is resilient, boasting six consecutive quarters of year-on-year growth. But with so many different forces at play, it’s no time to be complacent. By using all the data available and the tangible evidence of the most profitable makes and models, dealers can truly set themselves apart.”

Top 10 makes by retail margin for models retailing below £10k