Used car sales volumes increased year-on-year in June, with dealer stock levels up and average time to sell remaining steady, according to MOTORS’ latest Market View analysis.
However, rising competition for consumer interest saw average asking prices drop to the lowest recorded so far in 2025.
Dealer inventories averaged 50 units, unchanged from May but up 6% compared to June 2024. Franchised dealers and car supermarkets led the increase, up 11% year-on-year to 57 and 152 units respectively, while independent dealers held steady at 39 units. Used cars took an average of 31 days to sell, just one day longer than the previous month.
The average listed price of a used car on MOTORS in June was £17,167, a marginal £6 drop from May and down 2.4% from January’s level.
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.”
Tugby added: “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.”
Alternatively fuelled vehicles increased their share of dealer inventories to a record 18%, comprising 11% hybrids and 7% electric vehicles.
Petrol remained the most listed fuel type at 51%, with diesel falling to 32%. Average prices for EVs (£24,185) remained below hybrids (£24,902) for the fourth month in a row but continued to outprice petrol (£16,575) and diesel (£15,245) cars.
June’s fastest selling used car was the MG3, with nearly-new petrol models turning in just seven days. The Ford Mustang Mach-E led EV sales at 15 days, while the BYD Seal U topped the hybrid chart at 12 days.
Tugby said: “Alternatively fuelled cars are building momentum in the used car market with average prices of EVs now consistently lower than hybrids, building confidence among dealers to stock them and customers to buy them.”
