11:45 am, October 24, 2025
Used car dealers across the country have been facing a slow down in consumer demand, according to the latest figures from Cap HPI.
In its latest market overview, Cap said it that ‘as used activity saw some signs of strain’ it had received ‘reports of reduced daily sales across retailer networks’ during its latest report for September.
It added: ‘Some independents even adjusted their opening hours in response to lower footfall.’
This general slowdown was also seen in the numbers, with Cap HPI saying that vehicle turnover had slowed marginally from 40 to 41 days in stock for the overall market.
This was worse at independent car dealers, where days to sell increasing from 50 to 52 days in stock.
However, it was more surprising at franchised dealerships, where sales typically shift to new cars in September, with days to sell dropping from 35 to 34 days.
It was car supermarkets that were the strongest though, holding their vehicle turnover at at average of 32 days in stock.
‘Retailers at the start of September reported that consumer demand had slowed a little, which many expected after the school holidays,’ Cap HPI explained in their report. ‘Retail activity over the summer had been fairly good overall, and the hope was that momentum would continue into autumn.
‘However, by the end of the month, feedback from retail partners suggested a more
mixed picture than anticipated as demand continued to slow down.
‘As used retail activity showed some signs of strain, we received reports of reduced daily sales across retailer networks. Some independents even adjusted their opening hours in response to lower footfall.
‘Weekend activity held up better, but the overall trend pointed to a sharper slowdown than many had anticipated for this time of year.’
It added: ‘September feedback often splits as franchised retailers shift focus toward delivering new cars and meeting targets, while non-franchised dealers work harder to stay competitive and attract buyers still active in the market.
‘Some welcomed the slightly quieter period as an opportunity to rebuild stock levels and get their strategies aligned for the final quarter of the year.’
Looking at the fuel types that performed the best during this period, electric cars (BEV) saw the biggest slow down in vehicle turnover from 38 to 40 days but they still moved off forecourts faster than diesel cars (slowing from 44 days to 45 days in stock) and petrol cars (from 40 to 41 days).
Hybrid and PHEVs remained the same at 37 and 38 days respectively.
However, when analysing BEV days to sell at car supermarkets, CAP HPI found that car supermarkets are selling electric vehicles twice as fast as franchised dealers. On average they sold their EV stock in just 27 days, although this was up one day from the previous month.
In the trade side of the market, buyers were out in force to restock forecourts despite slower sales activity.
In fact, Cap HPI commented that, ‘buyers have been out in force, with independents and supermarkets creating plenty of competition both in the halls and online.’
It said: ‘What caught a few people off guard was seeing franchised dealers back in the lanes— something you don’t usually expect in September when their focus is typically on new car sales.
‘It’s probably an early sign that part-exchange volumes haven’t been hitting the levels they had hoped for, forcing them to look elsewhere for stock.
‘Interestingly, franchised dealers were actively buying older and lower graded stock, which also came as a real surprise to many.’
