9:28 am, May 1, 2026
Used car values saw a small drop off in April but experts say the market is continuing to follow normal market trends.
New data from Cap HPI shows a modest 1.2% decline in values in three-year-old, 60,000-mile cars in the fourth month of the year – equivalent to around £220.
Insiders say the statistics broadly align with long-term trends and insist that the used car market is holding steady against a backdrop of wider economic uncertainty and global tensions, including the war in Iran.
They add that, excluding the Covid years, the average April movement is a 1.6% decline, suggesting that the market is actually performing above expected levels this time out.
When it came to age cohorts, one-year-old cars saw prices fall by 1.3% (around £385), while older vehicles proved more stable. Five-year-old models dropped by just 0.8% (£115), and values at 10 years remained flat.
Meanwhile, most segments recorded declines, with sports cars, convertibles and cabriolets the only sector to buck the trend, thanks to increased spring demand.
At the other end of the spectrum, superminis were the weakest performers, falling by 1.9% (around £195) at the three-year point.
Within that, hybrids saw the seeing the steepest drops at 2.9%, followed by diesel (2.2%) and petrol (1.9%). Despite this, electric superminis did prove more resilient, slipping by just 0.9%.
Also falling were the executive MPV and SUV segments, which dropped by 1.7% and 1.4% respectively overall.
Among the biggest falling models were the Land Rover Discovery Sport Hybrid, which dropped 5.9% (£1,260); the Hyundai Bayon, which decline by 4.4% (£435) an the MG HS, which lost 3.8% of its value (£410).
Reacting to the findings, Chris Plumb, head of current valuations for Cap HPI, said: ‘After a period where monthly movements had been less favourable to seasonal norms, April felt like a return to more familiar market conditions following the Easter bank holiday period.
‘BEVs in particular showed a late improvement towards the end of the month, and while it remains too early to draw firm conclusions, there will be some hope that this momentum can carry into the months ahead.’
When it came to electric vehicles, April’s strongest performer was the Subaru Solterra, which increased by 5.3% (around £600), followed closely by the Mini Cooper, which rose by 5% (£425). Completing the top three was the MG5, which recorded a 4% increase (£310).
Plumb added: ‘Looking ahead, while performance against cap values has been weaker than would typically be expected so far this year, remarketers remain relatively upbeat.
‘Stock levels and, more importantly, conversion rates have held up well, helping to keep vehicles moving through the system.
‘However, most are now anticipating some softening in the weeks ahead, which would place further pressure on values and increase the need to keep stock flowing, whether through physical auction lanes or digital channels.
‘Focus will remain on BEV values to assess whether the recent improvement seen on certain models can be sustained into and throughout May.’
