Used EV car sales in UK skyrocket in Q1 of 2025

• Used EV car sales grew by 58.5% in Q1 to 65.85%
• Experts warn that sustained growth requires government support 
• Hybrids saw a record number of owners, up 30.2% to 98,830 vehicles

Sales of second-hand battery electric cars grew by 58.5% year-on-year (YoY) in Q1 2025, accounting for a record 3.3% of total used car sales, according to new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). 

In total, 65,850 used battery electric cars were sold between January and March 2025, pushing the used car market as a whole to enjoy its strongest start to a year since the pandemic. 

Mike Hawes SMMT chief executive, said more buyers of used cars were opting for electric vehicles (EV) as “greater choice and affordability” made it easier for them to switch from petrol and diesel. 

The figures also show that used EV sales are outgrowing new EVs, which have shot up by 35% YoY. 

Colin Walker, head of transport, Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, credited the boom in used EVs to price parity. He said that used EVs are now the same price as petrol cars on the second hand market, which could see families “save themselves £1,600 a year” by choosing to give a used EV a second lease of life.

However, Hawes and Walker said that if EV sales are to continue to grow the government will have to ensure there is a healthy supply of new EVs. 

Walker urged the government to rethink recent changes to the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate, including allowing hybrid cars to be sold until 2035, claiming growth in both new and used EVs will slow as a result.  

“Recent changes by the Government to its EV sales targets could slow the growth of new EV sales, and the growth of second hand EV market, leaving more drivers stuck with the higher bills that come from driving petrols and hybrids,” Walker claimed. 

“Given new cars hit the second-hand market after three to four years, these second-hand savings will only become more widely available if more new EVs are being sold”. 

Hawes made a similar comment, saying that sustaining and exceeding current levels of growth depends on “a healthy supply of EVs from the new car market”.

This in turn requires “fiscal incentives alongside a nationally accessible and affordable charge point network so that everyone, whatever their budget or driving needs, can benefit from zero emission motoring,” Hawes added.

In total, the UK’s used car market surpassed 2 million sales (2,020,990) in the first quarter of 2025, due to a higher supply in demand, according to the data from the SMMT, the first time since pre-Covid-19. 

The data revealed that hybrid vehicle units grew by 30.2% to 98,830, reaching a record number of secondhand owners, with plug-in hybrids trailing behind at 23,540 changing hands, up 14% on Q1 of 2024.

The best selling fuel type was petrol, rising by 2.1% to reach 1,149,855 units, while diesel cars only hit 679,739 units, a 3.1% decline. Internal combustion engine (ICE) cars made up a total 90.5% of all used car transactions, but in a win for EVs, their combined market share fell by 2.4% in Q1 as buyers sought cleaner options.

Credit SMMT

From a non-fuel perspective, smaller cars were in highest demand with superminis the bestselling sector. They accounted for 32.4% of all used car transactions and were followed by small family cars at 27%. Four segments experienced decline in Q1, with specialist sports down 6.1%, executive down 3.5%, upper medium down 1.6% and Multi-Purpose Vehicles (MPV) down 0.4%

The most popular second hand car makes and models were the Vauxhall Corsa (8,308), Nissan Qashqai (7,462) and Volkswagen Golf (6,853).

Black was the most popular colour, accounting for a fifth of cars sold (21.2%), with grey and blue taking the second and third place respectively. Silver was previously a bestseller, but had a decline of 3.1%.

Credit SMMT

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Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.

In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.

He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.

Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.

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His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.

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