Fastest Selling Used Car | May 2019

• 2012 Ford Focus estate crowned UK’s fastest selling used car in May
• Estates most searched for body type on Auto Trader last month
• Searches for EVs increase 14% in one month

The 2012 Ford Focus Estate (petrol manual) has been named May’s fastest selling used car, taking an average of just 18 days to leave UK forecourts. The more practical and space conscious counterpart to the iconic Ford Focus wasn’t the only estate to make it onto the podium last month, with the 2017 Skoda Superb estate (diesel manual) coming in a close second with a 21-day average.

With over 50 million multi-platform visits each month, Auto Trader’s marketplace offers the most accurate view of consumer buying intention and research trends. Last month there was a clear connection between intention and reality with the desirability of the estate also reflected in search behaviour – the humble estate was the most searched for body type, representing one in five (21%) of all body type related searches in May. It was followed closely in popularity by hatchbacks and SUVs, which both accounted for 17% of searches.  

Ford’s national win was mirrored across a number of the regions and countries tracked, with the Blue Oval taking the top spot in East England (2016 Ford Kuga diesel manual – 28 days), East Midlands (2012 Ford Fiesta petrol manual – 23 days), North East (2016 Ford Kuga diesel manual – 23 days), Northern Ireland (2016 Ford Kuga diesel manual – 26 days), South East (2018 Ford EcoSport diesel manual – 17 days), Wales (2016 Ford Kuga diesel manual – 31 days) and Yorkshire (2013 Ford Focus petrol manual – 25 days).

Conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles continue to be the dominant player when it comes to the fastest selling vehicles and indeed are the most searched for specified fuel type on the Auto Trader platform, representing 92% of all fuel searches. However, whilst searches for petrol and diesel grew at a conservative monthly rate of just 1% and 2% respectively, searches for pure electric vehicles jumped 14% from April.

Karolina Edwards-Smajda, Auto Trader’s Director of Commercial Products, said: “It’s easy to overlook estates in the wake of the surging popularity of SUVs over the last few years, but it shouldn’t come as any surprise to see them take the top spot; they’ve come a long way from the uninspiring models that prioritised functionality over style. Many of today’s estates offer elegant styling, excellent efficiency, and plenty of practicality that can often outperform an equivalent SUV in the real-world.

“The dominance of estates this month highlights just how fluid the market is. The ability to track emerging trends through data management can ensure your forecourt reflects consumer tastes and demands, helping to increase turn of sale and ultimately maximise profits.”

The UK’s top 10 fastest selling used cars in May 2019: