4:27 pm, October 1, 2025
More than six out of 10 used car dealers – 61% – say they are feeling positive about their prospects in Q4 and are having a strong year so far, according to research from Startline Motor Finance.
Startline’s Used Car Tracker for October also shows six out of ten saying that they are ‘more confident about our prospects than we have been for a while.’
Contributing factors to the trade’s optimism include feeling that stock availability has improved, according to 43% of dealers surveyed. A further 38% feel that consumer confidence is improving, 36% say that electric car sales are improving, and 33% of respondents believe that people are buying used because new cars are so expensive.
But three in ten (30%) still feel that the used EV market remains difficult, 28% report that an unsteady economy isn’t helping business and 16% of respondents say that overheads are too high.
Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: ‘We’ve been seeing convincing signs of dealer optimism in our Tracker research in recent months, but this is perhaps the strongest vote of confidence seen so far.
‘Our reading of this data is that large numbers of dealers believe that some of the biggest issues they have faced in recent times – such as stock availability, electrification and consumer confidence – are all noticeably improving.
‘This is not a sentiment that is uniform across the sector, but it’s clear that, for the majority of used car retailers, 2025 as a whole is shaping up to be a good year, despite the headwinds they have been encountering.’
Compiled monthly by APD Global Research, the Startline Used Car Tracker this month questioned 300 consumers and 61 dealers.
