Used car retail prices hold steady month-on-month as market continues to show resilience
Used car retail prices held steady month-on-month (MoM) on a like-for-like basis in October, according to the latest Retail Price Index (RPI) from Autotrader. The average asking price of a used car stood at £17,321. Whilst prices softened 1.8% year-on-year (YoY), compared with September’s 1.0% decline, continued stock turnover and areas of price growth underline the resilience of the used car market.
Autotrader’s wider market data shows cars took an average of just 29 days to sell, unchanged on October last year and one day faster than September. Despite wider economic uncertainty and the traditional autumn easing in activity, buying intentions remain robust: three quarters of consumers surveyed on Autotrader still plan to buy within the next six months. Together with steady stock turnover, this provides reassurance that car-buying appetite remains resilient.
Figures published today by the SMMT provide further context, showing the strongest used car transaction performance in the first nine months of the year since before the pandemic.
Electric cars maintain price growth as demand outpaces supply
Beneath the headline average, October’s RPI continued to show differing pricing conditions by fuel type. Electric cars recorded their sixth consecutive month of positive like-for-like price growth, rising 2.8% YoY, to an average of £25,263, and remaining the only fuel category to record annual growth. Electric prices also increased 1.3% MoM. Petrol prices, in contrast, softened 1.9% YoY (£14,589).
Electric pricing was supported by demand growth of 38.1% YoY, comfortably ahead of the 11.5% increase in supply. Electric cars were also the fastest-selling fuel type, taking an average of 25 days to sell, four days faster than September and four days quicker than petrol cars. Diesel cars took 33 days.
Older cars continue to show pricing strength
Pricing performance also varied by vehicle age. Cars aged 10–15 years recorded like-for-like annual price growth of 4.6% (£7,290), alongside a 1.5% monthly increase, reflecting demand for affordable petrol and diesel stock. Prices for cars over 15 years old rose 3.0% YoY (£5,294), maintaining the pricing strength seen at the older end of the market.
Younger age groups recorded annual declines, with prices for cars under one year old down 3.5% (£32,019), those aged 1–3 years down 2.0% (£25,366), and 3–5-year-old cars down 2.3% (£19,939). Prices for 5–10-year-old cars softened 1.8% (£14,276).
These differing pricing trends underline the importance of judging each car on its own retail performance. With cars overall still selling as quickly as last year, lower trade values are not, on their own, a reason to cut retail prices. Where retail demand supports the price, unnecessary reductions risk eroding margin rather than helping stock sell faster
The used car market has repeatedly shown its resilience through economic uncertainty. Household pressures can change when people replace their cars or what they choose, but they don’t remove the underlying need for personal transport. The usual seasonal easing shouldn’t be mistaken for a market running out of steam: buyers remain active, and there are good reasons for retailers to approach the final months of the year with confidence.
“For retailers, that means pricing from the retail market back, rather than from the trade market up. Where retail demand supports the price, softer wholesale values can create an opportunity to buy well and protect margin, not an automatic reason to reduce forecourt prices. The key is to respond to the evidence on each car, rather than let uncertainty in the headlines drive reductions that aren’t needed.”
Top 10 used car price growth (all fuel types) | October 2026 vs October 2025 like-for-like
|
Rank |
Make |
Model |
Oct 26 Average Asking Price |
Price Change (YoY) |
Price Change |
|
|
1 |
Porsche |
Boxster |
£21,881 |
20.1% |
1.0% |
|
|
2 |
Subaru |
Forester |
£20,196 |
12.8% |
3.0% |
|
|
3 |
SKODA |
Enyaq |
£26,312 |
11.7% |
2.0% |
|
|
4 |
Renault |
Zoe |
£9,183 |
11.2% |
2.0% |
|
|
5 |
Toyota |
Land Cruiser |
£44,787 |
10.8% |
0.4% |
|
|
6 |
MG |
MG5 |
£11,849 |
10.8% |
3.2% |
|
|
7 |
BMW |
Z4 |
£21,186 |
10.4% |
-1.3% |
|
|
8 |
Mazda |
MX-5 |
£12,711 |
10.4% |
-0.2% |
|
|
9 |
Mercedes-Benz |
SL |
£30,428 |
9.8% |
-0.3% |
|
|
10 |
Kia |
Soul |
£7,657 |
9.0% |
1.6% |
|
Top 10 used car price contraction (all fuel types) | October 2026 vs October 2025 like-for-like
|
Rank |
Make |
Model |
Oct 26 Average Asking Price |
Price Change |
Price Change (MoM) |
|
10 |
Renault |
Symbioz |
£20,895 |
-13.1% |
-5.1% |
|
9 |
Land Rover |
Range Rover Evoque |
£16,849 |
-13.2% |
-0.7% |
|
8 |
Vauxhall |
Mokka X |
£7,286 |
-14.1% |
-1.9% |
|
7 |
Vauxhall |
Crossland X |
£7,261 |
-14.2% |
-2.3% |
|
6 |
Land Rover |
Range Rover Velar |
£26,541 |
-14.5% |
-2.1% |
|
5 |
Peugeot |
408 |
£17,771 |
-14.8% |
-0.4% |
|
4 |
BYD |
Seal U |
£25,274 |
-15.5% |
0.0% |
|
3 |
Peugeot |
Rifter |
£12,610 |
-15.6% |
-2.2% |
|
2 |
Vauxhall |
Grandland |
£16,931 |
-15.8% |
-1.5% |
|
1 |
Jaguar |
E-PACE |
£14,471 |
-18.4% |
-2.3% |
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