Discontinued Fords fly off forecourts this February as browsing shifts to buying
Friday 13th February 2026, London – According to Autotrader, the race for the UK’s most iconic 'last-of-line' vehicles has heated up significantly in February as buyers scramble to secure discontinued favourites. And with the average used car now selling in 27 days—two weeks faster than in January—the data reveals a market that has snapped back to life, driven by strong demand for affordable, reliable, and increasingly rare 'middle-aged' stock.
While the Tesla Model Y (electric, 3-5-years-old) holds the top spot, taking an average of just 16 days to sell so far in February, Ford dominates this month’s list of fastest‑selling models, clinching four of the top ten positions. Leading the charge is the Ford EcoSport (petrol, 5-10 years) in second place (17 days), flanked by the Focus (petrol) and the iconic Fiesta (petrol), the UK’s most popular used car. With all three models now discontinued, the data highlights the intense competition for the remaining stock of these household names.
Crucially, this demand is concentrated in the ‘middle-aged’ market. Aside from the newer Ford Kuga (petrol hybrid, 3-5-years old), every Ford in the top ten sits within the 5–10-year-old age bracket—a segment that accounts for 60% of the entire top ten list. This demand for older vehicles is significant because it collides directly with a structural shift in supply.
Autotrader’s analysis highlights a looming reduction in availability of this profile of stock. Due to the c.2.5 million new cars ‘lost’ to the pandemic production pauses, the supply of 5-6-year-old vehicles is set to drop by 25-30% by the end of this year (vs 2024 levels), deepening to a 35% drop for 5-7-year-olds by 2027.
The fact that these 5–10-year-old cars are currently the fastest-selling cohort (turning in just 25 days) illustrates this trend: consumers are buying this stock faster than it can be replaced. For retailers, this represents a window of opportunity to adapt sourcing strategies to meet this demand for value and versatility.
Market shifts from browsing to buying
Beyond the specific squeeze on supply, the wider used car market has bounced back sharply from the seasonal slowdown. The steep acceleration in speed of sale—from 41 days in January to 27 days in February—indicates a clear shift in consumer mindset, as the high engagement seen at the start of the year now converts rapidly into purchases.
Notably, the fastest‑selling cars this month feature older, more budget‑friendly stock – while the slowest‑selling list is dominated by younger, more premium vehicles. It’s worth noting, that these younger models also face stiff competition from increasingly attractively priced new cars, which compare closely in terms of age and price. The pattern indicates that while 9 in 10 buyers see car ownership as essential, price sensitivity and perceived value remain a key driver of speed.
Commenting, Marc Palmer, Head of Strategy and Insights at Autotrader said:
“The acceleration in speed of sale to just 27 days confirms that the market has firmly woken up. The fundamentals are strong: buyer demand is high, and engagement is converting into transactions at a healthy pace.
“However, the specific popularity of 5–10-year-old vehicles highlights the structural shift in supply we predicted. As this ‘middle-aged’ stock becomes scarcer, the challenge for retailers is not just selling cars, but sourcing the right ones. This is where data becomes the competitive advantage. Retailers who use real-time insights to diversify their stock and spot these pockets of demand early will be best placed to turn this supply challenge into a profitable opportunity.”
Whilst fastest selling data is based on past data, Autotrader retailer partners can access expected days to sell data for in and out of stock vehicles via Retail Check in Portal or via third party systems integrated through Autotrader Connect.
Slowest-selling used cars – February 2026
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About Autotrader
Autotrader Group plc is the UK’s largest automotive marketplace. It listed on the London Stock Exchange in March 2015 and is a member of the FTSE 100 Index.
Autotrader’s purpose is Driving Change Together. Responsibly. Autotrader is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive culture, it aims to build stronger partnerships with its customers and use its voice and influence to drive more environmentally friendly vehicle choices.
With the largest number of car buyers and the largest choice of trusted stock, Autotrader’s marketplace sits at the heart of the UK car buying process. That marketplace is built on an industry-leading technology and data platform, which is increasingly used across the automotive industry. Autotrader is continuing to bring more of the car buying journey online, creating an improved buying experience, whilst enabling all its retailer partners to sell vehicles online.
Autotrader publishes a monthly used car Retail Price Index which is based on pricing analysis of circa 800,000 unique vehicles. The same data that powers the Index is used by the Office for National Statistics to make the UK’s official measures of inflation more robust, as well as the Bank of England to feed the broader UK economic indicators.
For more information, please visit: https://plc.autotrader.co.uk/
[1] Up to 12th February 2026
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