11:27 am, August 7, 2026
Electric cars propped up used car values in July and flew off dealer forecourts, latest data shows.
New figures from data intelligence provider Cazana, shown to Car Dealer ahead of wider publication, reveal the used car market continued its period of stability in July, with average values of three-year-old used cars posting no movement at all.
But retail prices of used EVs jumped by 1.6% at the same three-year mark, marking four consecutive months of value growth of almost 7% or approximately £1,500 per vehicle.
With petrol and diesel prices nudging down 0.1% and hybrids falling by 0.3%, it means second-hand EVs effectively prevented an overall average used car market price drop.
Speaking on Car Dealer Live – which you can watch at the top of this story – automotive expert Derren Martin described the market as a ‘summer of stability’.
Cazana’s top-25 highest price rising used cars for July only included three petrol models – all others were hybrids and EVs. Top of the pile was the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo, which saw a 6.6% increase with average price of £53,759.
Click here to see the top 25 highest risers and fallers in July
The fastest-selling models included the Peugeot E-208, Mercedes EQB, Volkswagen ID.4 and Tesla Model Y, all of which averaged around 14 days to sale.
‘These models are selling very quickly at the moment,’ said Martin. ‘For dealers, it’s a case of buying then, selling them, and the buying them again. There are some definite opportunities there.’
Across vehicle types, hatchbacks were July’s strongest performers for the second consecutive month, with average values rising by around 1%.
Estates and saloons declined by approximately 1%, SUVs were broadly flat at -0.2%, MPVs fell by 1.5% and convertibles dropped by 2% as seasonal demand softened.
Renault, Ford and Kia recorded the strongest manufacturer-level gains, with values rising by around 1% at three years old. Land Rover fell by 1%, while BMW declined by 0.6%.
One-year-old cars increased by 0.2% and five-year-old vehicles rose by 0.4%, equivalent to about £50. Average values for 10-year-old cars fell by 0.5%, or roughly £40.
Martin warned that strong new car offers and growing numbers of EVs returning to the used market could put pressure on values later in the year.
He said: ‘If new car offers are really, really strong [later this year], and this goes across the board, not just on electric vehicles, buyers will be thinking “why should I buy a used one when I can buy a new one for £250 a month”?’
Looking further ahead, he added: ‘Once we get into next year, we will be seeing the first BYDs, Omodas and Jaecoos coming into the used car market in volume. If there are too many cars in the used car market, values will drop. It’s as simple as that.’
For August, Martin expects EVs to remain comparatively strong, although the wider market could experience slightly greater pressure as the school holidays continue.
He said: ‘I think electric vehicles will probably continue to do well, maybe a little bit more pressure on the other fuel types.’
He added: ‘I don’t think it’ll turn upwards, but I think it might stay relatively the same or dip slightly. And then once you get into September, you’re starting to get into a completely different period and it could get a bit more interesting then.’