The used car market has maintained strong momentum through April 2025, with British Car Auctions (BCA) reporting marginally improved average values of £7,792, up from £7,781 in March.
Buyer numbers at BCA’s online sales programme continued their upward trajectory, reaching record-breaking levels as customer engagement increased, generating sustained demand across the wider used car market.
Sale conversions remained ahead of seasonal expectations during April, with sold volumes holding up well despite some pressure on performance against price guide expectations.
BCA noted that while price movements shifted more significantly than in previous months, the April-to-May movement was better than many previous years, reflecting a seasonal easing of demand and the effect of this year’s late Easter.
Looking at the first quarter of 2025 as a whole, used car values averaged £7,777 at BCA, representing 97.7% of guide price expectations and significantly outperforming the same period in 2024 for both price performance and sold volumes.
The remarketing firm attributed this to exceptional buyer demand across its seven-day-a-week online sales programme, combined with a relative shortage of prime three to five-year old stock, which created a competitive environment.
Stuart Pearson, chief operating officer at BCA, said: “April felt like another solid month across the used car sector with performance and volumes well ahead of the same period last year.
“Whilst the intensity in the market has eased from earlier in the year, the best stock remained well fought over and buyer engagement remains at record levels.
“With some seasonality now impacting, any vehicle in poorer condition as well as some of the less-desirable repeat model vehicles, came under more pressure than we’ve seen for a while.
“What remains clear, is that there’s still a home for every vehicle and buyers continue to follow the decisive sellers that value stock competitively and are pragmatic with their expectations.”
Pearson added: “BCA continues to invest in facilities to support both cosmetic and mechanical preparation across the remarketing network and over the last few months we’ve seen even more customers utilising our data driven approach to refurbishment, increasing the chance of first-time conversion for sellers, and providing buyer customers with significant efficiencies to support the retail process.”
Anecdotal feedback from BCA’s customers indicated that while retail demand remains generally strong, sourcing sufficient appropriate stock continues to be challenging in 2025, often requiring dealers to look beyond their typical product profiles to fill forecourt gaps.
This challenge comes against a backdrop of what BCA describes as the healthiest sustained market performance seen for some time.
Pearson added: “Whilst navigating the May Bank holidays and the run towards the summer can put pressure on the market, there’s a level of optimism that suggests with a little extra focus, it should be very possible to maintain the momentum that the used car market is experiencing.”
