8:09 am, August 4, 2026
New and used car dealers should not be spooked by the traditional summer slowdown, with used car demand remaining strong and the new car market continuing to outperform the wider economy.
That is according to Autotrader’s commercial director Ian Plummer, who has suggested that things might not be as quiet as some dealers fear.
Appearing on the latest episode of the Car Dealer podcast, Plummer said that motorists are still ready to buy their next car, with the motor trade currently performing ahead of the wider economy.
He also told hosts James Baggott and Jon Reay that used cars are currently selling at the same rate as this time last year, despite complaints from some dealers that business appears to be drying up.
Speaking on the show, Plummer said the industry was entering its usual seasonal slowdown but stressed that market fundamentals remain strong.
‘It’s not the busiest month in terms of seasonalisation for new and used cars alike,’ he admitted. ‘We are going into that real quiet period where the kids are on holiday, we’re often on holiday, your teams are on holiday and so on in retail, so it can feel quieter.
‘But actually, it’s quite important to remember that it probably was last year as well. Used cars are still selling at the same pace as they were last year and the year before, that’s 30 days.
‘Prices have actually returned to growth, so we’re seeing retail prices up a little bit, up nearly a percentage point in the context where trade values are down a little bit.
‘Some folks are saying that their trade volumes are a bit tight, which I can understand – people are a little bit nervous of buying for some reason – that nervousness is leading to a slight decline in trade prices, yet retail is up because demand is pretty good, and that should give a good profit opportunity.
‘Overall, the broader context is pretty good.’
Plummer also addressed the current state of the new car market, which performed well again in July.
Analysing the market, Autotrader’s expert suggested people are currently being ‘priced back into new cars’ with the market enjoying double digit growth throughout the year.
Plummer added: ‘There’s no doubt a lot of registration activity just happening, but we’re very likely to see a double digit growth number again for this month [July], which continues the double digit growth we’ve seen in retail particularly, but overall the market will not far off 10% up in the year.
‘Maybe a few people are being priced back into new cars. There’s no other sector or hospitality, retail, whatever is at 10%.
‘The economy is not at 10%, yet new cars are. So potentially that might be taking a few people pricing them back into new and maybe even out of used cars.’
You can listen to all episodes of the Car Dealer Podcast on Spotify or watch on the Car Dealer 2.0 YouTube channel.