11:33 am, September 9, 2026
August was a strong month for the used car market, despite prices dipping as part of the traditional summer slowdown.
However, while generally prices only experienced a minimal dip, some models saw their values plummet in the eighth month of the year.
Autotrader data shows that the biggest faller was the Audi A6 e-tron Avant, which saw its value plunge 24.4% year-on-year to £48,509.
The drop, which came despite a monthly improvement of 3.6%, was enough to place the electric estate ahead of the BYD Dolphin Surf in the month’s biggest fallers.
The Chinese model was down 18.2% on the same point last year, with its average price on Autotrader now standing at £16,190.
The top three was rounded out by another EV – the Nissan Ariya – which saw a 17.3% drop off to end the month at £23,419.
Overall, electric models made up the entire Top 10 fallers by percentage.
Autotrader’s biggest price droppers
- Audi A6 e-tron Avant — £48,509 — -24.4%
- BYD Dolphin Surf — £16,190 — -18.2%
- Nissan Ariya — £23,419 — -17.3%
- Ford Puma Gen-E — £20,675 — -16.6%
- Genesis GV70 — £38,000 — -15.7%
- BMW i5 — £44,198 — -15.3%
- Polestar 3 — £46,841 — -15.1%
- Polestar 4 — £38,697 — -14.8%
- Lotus Eletre — £69,488 — -14.6%
- Peugeot E-3008 — £24,716 — -14.4%
Outside the electric market, the Vauxhall Mokka X recorded a 14.1% annual fall to £7,386, while the Jaguar E-Pace dropped 13.9% to £14,709.
The Vauxhall Grandland and Peugeot 408 both fell 13.1%, while the Grandland X was down 12.2%.
The Ford EcoSport and DS 3 Crossback completed the top 10 biggest fallers, dropping 10.4% and 10% respectively.
In response to the figures, Marc Palmer, head of strategy and insights at Autotrader, said dealers should not allow short-term wholesale movements to overshadow what is happening in the retail market.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Porsche Boxster was the biggest used car price gainer in August, with values rising 20.2% year-on-year to £20,922.
The Alfa Romeo Giulia was up 12.3% to £25,776, while the Audi RS6 Avant climbed 12.1% to £66,110.
The Renault Zoe, Mazda MX-5 and Subaru Forester also recorded double-digit annual growth, while the Skoda Enyaq, MG5 and BMW Z4 all rose by more than 10%.
Autotrader’s biggest price risers
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.
‘Buyers are still active, stock is turning, and there are clear pockets of profit potential in electric vehicles and older cars in particular,’ he said.
‘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.’