8:47 am, July 2, 2025
The used car market remained stable in June with prices flatlining for the third month in a row.
That is according to fresh data from Auto Trader, which has found that the average price of a used car in the sixth month of the year was £16,780.
That figure represents a year-on-year-dip of just 0.1%, with experts pointing to the ‘underlying health of the used car market’ as a key factor.
The period of stability, which now stretches back to April, will come as a relief to car dealers, following 19 months of contraction.
Looking at the data on a month-on-month basis, prices were down by just 0.6% on May – a figure broadly in line with seasonal norms.
In more good news for used car dealers, Auto Trader also found a rise in consumer confidence in June, with nine out of 10 people telling the firm they were at least as confident, if not more so, in their ability to afford their next car.
As a result, the group enjoyed 83m cross platform visits throughout the month – an increase on 3.2% on this time last year and an overall record for June.
The stronger demand was also reflected in days to sell figures, which showed that the average car took just 29 days to leave forecourts in June – one day faster than last year and two days faster than in May.
Dealers will also be buoyed by the news that transactions were also up, with Auto Trader reporting year-on-year growth of 3.2%.
Taking a closer look
Breaking the data down by sector reveals a slight disparity in sales performance among retailers
Whilst the average independent retailer saw a very robust 6.1% increase last month, sales among franchise retailers were flat, rising by just 0.1%, which Auto Trader puts down to differing stock profiles, and variances in supply and demand.
Looking at specific models, the Suzuki Jimny enjoyed the biggest year-on-year price rise, with values shooting up by 20.1% in the last 12 months.
The result placed the Japanese SUV well clear of the likes of the Hyundai i30 and Lexus IS, which finished in second and third place respectively.
June’s biggest price jumps
- Suzuki Jimny – Average Asking Price: £13,014; Year-on-Year Price Change: 20.1%; Month-on-Month Change: -1.7%
- Hyundai i30 – Average Asking Price: £8,934; Year-on-Year Price Change: 11.6%; Month-on-Month Change: 0.1%
- Lexus IS – Average Asking Price: £9,940; Year-on-Year Price Change: 11.3%; Month-on-Month Change: 0.8%
- Mazda MX-5 – Average Asking Price: £11,358; Year-on-Year Price Change: 10.7%; Month-on-Month Change: 1.5%
- Toyota Land Cruiser – Average Asking Price: £36,904; Year-on-Year Price Change: 8.6%; Month-on-Month Change: -2.3%
- Kia Carens – Average Asking Price: £6,516; Year-on-Year Price Change: 8.0%; Month-on-Month Change: -2.7%
- Volkswagen Touareg – Average Asking Price: £30,890; Year-on-Year Price Change: 7.6%; Month-on-Month Change: 0.0%
- BMW M4 – Average Asking Price: £40,150; Year-on-Year Price Change: 7.2%; Month-on-Month Change: 1.5%
- Audi A3 Cabriolet – Average Asking Price: £8,840; Year-on-Year Price Change: 6.8%; Month-on-Month Change: 3.4%
- BMW Z4 – Average Asking Price: £18,493; Year-on-Year Price Change: 6.7%; Month-on-Month Change: 5.3%
At the other end of the scale, the Tesla Model X saw its value plummet, with the average price of the model falling by 19% year-on-year.
The brand’s model Y also struggled, as EVs dominated the list of biggest fallers.
Elsewhere, there are also mounting concerns about the shrinking size of the parc.
In 2019 there were around 4.8m 3-5-year-old cars in the parc, but by the end of 2024, it fell by roughly 7% to just 3m. Auto Trader is now warning that by the end of this year, it will have fallen to a record low of just 2.9m.
June’s biggest price drops
- Tesla Model X – Average Asking Price: £31,976; Year-on-Year Price Change: -19.0%; Month-on-Month Change: -3.9%
- Mini Electric Hatch – Average Asking Price: £13,524; Year-on-Year Price Change: -18.1%; Month-on-Month Change: -0.1%
- Tesla Model Y – Average Asking Price: £28,370; Year-on-Year Price Change: -17.7%; Month-on-Month Change: -2.4%
- Nissan Ariya – Average Asking Price: £31,119; Year-on-Year Price Change: -17.5%; Month-on-Month Change: 1.5%
- Jaguar I-Pace – Average Asking Price: £23,095; Year-on-Year Price Change: -16.4%; Month-on-Month Change: -2.8%
- Kia EV6 – Average Asking Price: £29,185; Year-on-Year Price Change: -16.1%; Month-on-Month Change: -2.3%
- BMW i5 – Average Asking Price: £53,399; Year-on-Year Price Change: -15.4%; Month-on-Month Change: 2.5%
- BMW iX – Average Asking Price: £46,332; Year-on-Year Price Change: -15.0%; Month-on-Month Change: 1.8%
- Vauxhall Viva – Average Asking Price: £5,561; Year-on-Year Price Change: -13.1%; Month-on-Month Change: -3.2%
- Hyundai i40 – Average Asking Price: £5,498; Year-on-Year Price Change: -12.0%; Month-on-Month Change: -2.9%
Commenting, Marc Palmer, head of strategy and insights, at Auto Trader, said: ‘As we enter the second half of the year, our data shows that the fundamentals of the used car market remain strong; consumer demand is robust, and cars are selling at pace, which combined with the overall softening in supply, means retail prices are stable, and continue to follow seasonal norms.
‘At a granular level, there is considerable nuance in the market, however, which is impacting retailers’ traditional stock profiles and making the job of finding profitable cars more competitive.
‘It’s why using insights over instincts to power your forecourt strategy is more important than ever.’
Hybrids and hatchbacks hit the sweet spot
Away from Auto Trader, both Motors and Percayso Vehicle Intelligence (PVI) have also published their June findings on the used car market.
PVI echoes Auto Trader’s claims about the market remaining stable, as it reported retail values for popular three-year-old models dipping by just 0.94%.
However, it found that hybrid models saw the smallest declines in value at just 0.5%, compared to petrol (1.35%), diesel (0.9%) and EV (0.8%).
Analysing the latest PVI data, automotive expert Derren Martin, said: ‘June has proved to be a stable month in the used car market, despite the hot weather that can often distract consumers from car-buying activities.
‘With 3-year-old cars still low in volumes, due to low registrations in 2022 from semiconductor shortages, prices are continuing to hold up well.
‘Hybrids, hatchbacks and price-point cars seem to be the most in-demand, but the whole market is in a good place. There may be some slowdown over the upcoming school holiday period, but the overall sentiment is for continued stability in the used car retail market.’
Dealer stock levels rise
Elsewhere, Motors’ latest Market View Report found that used car sales volumes increased year-on-year for June with stock levels up and days to sell consistent.
Analysis shows that dealer inventories averaged 50 units in June, unchanged on May but up 6% this time last year.
The increase was powered by franchised dealers and car supermarkets, both up 11% to 57 and 152 units respectively. While independent retailers remained unchanged at 39 units.
Overall, used cars averaged 31 days to sell across Motors’ platforms, an increase of one day over May.
The average price of a used car listed on Motors was £17,167, down just £6 on May.
The firm’s fastest selling used car was the MG3, with nearly new petrol models, under six months old, averaging just seven days in stock.
Lucy Tugby, Marketing Director of Motors, said: ‘With inventory levels higher than they were 12 months ago, dealers still achieved stock turn in line with the seasonal norm, albeit with dealers fighting hard to attract buyers with competitive prices.
‘Franchised dealers and car supermarkets played to their strengths and cherry picked the models, fuel types and age profiles they knew would resonate with customers.
‘This placed those achieving good margins in a strong position at the end of the first half of the year and ahead of the summer holiday period,” she said.’
