7:23 am, April 13, 2026
Used car prices on car dealer forecourts increased in March as the market remained robust in light of weakening consumer confidence.
Cazana data for the key plate-change month show the price of three-year-old used cars rose on average by 1% in March.
Cazana scrapes data from across the internet to monitor the prices dealers are advertising their cars for online.
Speaking exclusively to Car Dealer Magazine, used car pricing expert and consultant for Cazana, Derren Martin, said that despite the geopolitical situation, the used car market remains robust.
In a video, which you can watch at the top of this post, Martin said petrol and diesel cars went up 1%, hybrids went up 2% and electric vehicle values remained flat.
Martin said: ‘Petrol and diesel have both gone up by a similar amount – about 1% on average. I was expecting diesel to drop, but obviously the cars we’re looking at are on forecourts, so it’s good dealers aren’t slashing prices.’
Martin said he was surprised EV values had not surged in light of rapidly rising fuel prices and the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
He said: ‘Electric vehicles have stayed level. I expected them to go up, but they haven’t. That’s not a negative – they’ve stayed stable, and as we all know EVs have been very volatile over recent years. There’s still lots of movement within the sector.
‘It’ll be really interesting to see what happens if this continues – particularly with concerns around the Strait of Hormuz and oil supplies.’
Biggest used car price fallers
Source: Cazana, March data
- Audi Q3 -9.6%
- MG MG5 EV -7.8%
- Land Rover Range Rover Sport Hybrid PHEV -7.3%
- Volvo C40 Recharge EV -6.7%
- MINI Cabriolet -6.6%
- Lexus NX 450h Hybrid PHEV -6.3%
- BMW 2 Series Coupe -4.9%
- Land Rover Range Rover Evoque PHEV -4.4%
- Volkswagen ID.4 EV -4.3%
- Citroen C5 Aircross -4.2%
Biggest used car price risers
Source: Cazana, March data
- Skoda Octavia 10.7%
- BMW 1 Series Hatchback 10.3%
- Kia XCee’d 9.9%
- Ford S-Max Hybrid HEV 7.7%
- Audi A3 Sportback 7.2%
- Porsche Macan 7.2%
- Dacia Sandero Stepway 6.4%
- Audi A1 Sportback 6.0%
- Audi Q4 e-tron EV 5.9%
- Cupra Formentor 5.7%
Martin said he expects dealers to start pushing the prices of EVs up if demand continues to increase. Several used car marketplaces have reported soaring interest in used electric cars as fuel prices continue to go up.
In terms of brands, BMW and Mini were top performers with average prices up 3% and 2.8% respectively. Mercedes was third with a 1.8% price rise.
Martin added: ‘As in previous months, estates and hatchbacks remain sweet spots for dealers, as volumes of SUVs continue to dominate. With volumes of part-exchanges increasing from March plate change activity, it will be interesting to see whether retailers can continue to edge prices up, or whether the distractions of Bank Holidays in April and May will lead potential customers away from car buying activities.’
Watch the video interview and Martin’s update on the very latest used car prices at the top of this post.
