Used car transactions increased by 2.6% year on year in August, with franchised dealers, small independents and used car supermarkets all recording growth for the first time this year.
Autotrader’s latest market data also showed that vehicles sold in an average of 30 days. This was unchanged from August 2025 and one day faster than in July.
The average advertised price of a used car reached £17,131, although like-for-like prices were 0.1% lower than a year earlier and fell by 0.4% month on month.
Autotrader said the modest movement was consistent with normal August seasonality and pointed to continued underlying stability in retail prices.
Its figures indicate that softer wholesale values have not translated into weaker retail demand, providing dealers sourcing vehicles competitively with an opportunity to protect or increase margins.
Used EV prices rise 3.8%
Electric cars delivered the strongest price growth of any fuel type, with used EV values rising for a third consecutive month.
Like-for-like used EV prices increased by 3.8% year on year and 0.5% month on month to an average of £25,095.
The performance was particularly strong among electric cars aged between three and five years. Prices within this cohort rose by 9.4% year on year and 1.4% month on month to £20,351.
These vehicles also sold in an average of 26 days, compared with 27 days across the wider used EV market.
The Renault Zoe led annual price growth among electric models, followed by the Skoda Enyaq, MG5 and Kia Niro.
Older stock offers margin potential
Cars aged between one and three years were the main source of downward price pressure, with like-for-like values falling by 1.8% year on year with Autotrader suggesting that increasingly competitive new car offers were placing additional pressure on this part of the used market.
Vehicles aged between three and 10 years proved more resilient, while cars aged from 10 to 15 years recorded the strongest growth among the age groups measured.
Prices for 10 to 15-year-old cars increased by 6.9% year on year to an average of £7,183. Vehicles more than 15 years old recorded growth of 2.6%, reflecting continued demand for affordable older stock.
Across all fuel types, the Porsche Boxster recorded the strongest annual price growth at 20.2%, followed by the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Audi RS6 Avant.
Autotrader head of strategy and insights Marc Palmer said: “August’s data points to a used car market with real underlying momentum. Prices remain stable, cars are selling quickly, and transaction volumes are growing across franchise, independent and supermarket retailers for the first time this year. That combination should give retailers real confidence that demand remains strong, and critically, that current retail price levels are continuing to convert into sales.
“In a market like this, it’s important not to allow short-term wholesale movements to overshadow what’s happening in the live retail market. Buyers are still active, stock is turning, and there are clear pockets of profit potential in electric vehicles and older cars in particular. For retailers sourcing well in a softer wholesale market, this presents a clear margin opportunity: buy more competitively, price to the live retail market, and avoid giving away profit by pulling advertised prices down unnecessarily.”
Ensure you always receive AM insights. Make us a preferred source of news on Google