Autotrader reveal used car price stable as forecourts fire up in fast-paced February
The UK used car market maintained strong momentum throughout February, underpinned by stable pricing and a definitive shift toward high-intent consumer buying behaviour. According to the latest Autotrader Retail Price Index, which uses AI to analyse circa 800,000 daily pricing observations across the retail market, average month-on-month (MoM) prices remained flat at 0.0%.
At £17,197, February marked the second-highest average used car price since November 2023, sitting only marginally behind January of this year.
This pricing stability is directly supported by very robust levels of consumer demand, with Autotrader recording 80.2 million platform visits in February. While volumes were slightly impacted by the shorter month, engagement levels remain high, and crucially, Autotrader’s market data indicates that January's surge of browsers has transitioned into February buyers.
This is evident in the accelerated speed at which used cars are leaving retailers' forecourts. In February, cars took an average of just 27 days to sell. Not only is this one day faster than February 2025, but as is typical for this time of year, represents a full fortnight (14 days) faster than January.
Beneath the stable headline figures, however, Autotrader's data reveals a highly nuanced market where pricing and speed of sale are heavily influenced by shifting supply dynamics and external factors.
According to Autotrader’s analysis, the volume of 5-7-year-old cars will see an approximate 35% drop over the next two years compared to 2024 as the impact of the pandemic-era production shutdown flows up through the market. Yet, the broader 5-10-year-old segment—the traditional core of the used car market—is currently among the fastest selling age cohorts, with cars leaving forecourts in just 26 days in February. This rapid stock turn underscores the high demand for these vehicles. As the looming shortfall takes hold, it will impact large swathes of the industry, forcing both franchise and independent retailers into fierce competition for stock and requiring them to adapt their forecourt strategies.
However, Autotrader's data does reveal other pockets of profit potential in the market. Older stock, aged 10-15 years old, was the overall fastest-selling used car segment in February, taking an average of just 25 days. Critically, this age group is seeing the largest rise in retail prices, and by some margin, reaching £7,006 in February. This marks an average increase of nearly 10% (9.4%) on a YoY basis, and around 1% (0.7%) MoM. Such is the opportunity, Autotrader’s analysis has observed some larger franchise groups entering this market.
At the opposite end of the used car market, and highlighting the importance of accurate data, those aged below 12 months are clearly facing stiff competition from brand-new models. Despite average prices of these 'nearly new' models softening by nearly -5% (-4.6%) YoY and -1% (-0.8%) MoM – marking February’s largest price drop1 – it’s not been enough to divert consumer attention away from their heavily discounted brand-new counterparts. In February, these nearly new models lingered on forecourts for an average of 29 days.
Looking at fuel types, electric vehicles (EVs) remain a dynamic segment within this nuanced landscape. While used EVs averaged 29 days to sell in February (two days behind petrol's 26), the underlying performance remains robust. Crucially, used EVs turned one day quicker than they did in February 2025, maintaining the exact same YoY improvement seen in petrol vehicles. Looking ahead, EV interest may spike if recent geopolitical events continue to impact the broader energy market, echoing the demand spikes seen during previous fuel shortages.
Based on what we’re hearing and tracking, the used car market is in robust shape – prices are stable, if not recording sizeable growth in some segments, the speed of sale is following seasonal trends, and we’ve had positive reports on sales volumes. However, the impending supply disruption will require retailers to adapt and diversify. We recognise, however, that pivoting into new vehicle profiles carries risk. To support the industry through this transition, we’re enabling our partners to advertise double their contracted volume at no additional cost for a period of time2. This gives retailers the opportunity to test these new profiles alongside their core stock. Alongside our powerful AI-powered buyer insights, we believe this is among the most effective ways we can help our partners capture today’s high-intent buyers and confidently navigate the changing supply landscape.
Top 10 used car price growth (all fuel types) | February 2026 vs February 2025 like-for-like
Top 10 used car price contraction (all fuel types) | February 2026 vs February 2025 like for like
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