2:13 pm, July 13, 2026
Pre-registration activity accelerated sharply in June as manufacturers and dealers pushed to hit half-year targets.
The latest edition of Brego’s Car Market Insight Report found pre-registered advert volumes increased by 10.8% compared with May, despite total used car advert volumes rising by just 0.4% across the wider market.
The increase came during what Brego described as a ‘difficult month’ for the used car sector, with dealers reporting a slow first half before trading improved towards the end of June.
Despite that, used car sales finished 6.6% higher than in May.
Brego said the figures suggest manufacturers spread pre-registration activity across a broader range of models rather than concentrating it on a handful of volume sellers.
While overall pre-registration activity increased, sales of the 10 best-selling pre-registered models actually fell by 5.9% during June, following a 19.3% decline in May.
The Vauxhall Corsa retained its position as the UK’s best-selling pre-registered car for the sixth consecutive month.
The June top 10 also included the MG HS, Nissan Qashqai, Citroen C3, Peugeot 208, MG ZS and Hyundai i10.
Pre-registered electric vehicles also enjoyed a stronger month, with volumes among the top 10 models increasing by 27.7% after falling by 42.5% in May.
New entries included models from Geely, Peugeot, Dacia and Hyundai.
Average sale prices for the top 10 pre-registered EVs fell by 17.3% to £21,604, while the average time taken to sell improved by 5.6 days to 16.8 days.
Rupert Pontin, head of insight and communications at Brego, said: ‘June’s increase in pre-registration activity shows the pressure OEMs and retailers were under to deliver against half-year targets and secure volume bonuses.
‘What’s particularly interesting is that this activity was spread across a broader mix of models. Dealers and lenders will need to look beyond the headline volume and understand exactly where that stock is building.’
