2009 used car sales volumes lowest in a decade

Article added: 12 Mar 2010 16:42

Research by the information services company Experian shows that annual used car sales fell by 5.7% during 2009 to 6,798,864 used cars. The last time the used car industry experienced similar performance was in 2000, when 6,713,269 used cars were sold

In terms of age, the 0-3 year old cars suffered the most, with sales dropping by 15.4% when compared with Q4 2008, due to the boost in new car sales from the scrappage scheme, Experian claimed.

Cars over nine years old were the only age group to see any form of increase, albeit a marginal 0.4% improvement on Q4 2008 figures.

Looking at sales by fuel type, Experian says that the alternative fuel market is bucking the trend by seeing sales almost double in 2009, with hybrid models becoming increasingly popular.

Although the majority of used cars being sold are still petrol run, it is the only fuel type to see a drop in sales during 2009 as a whole, with an 8.7 per cent fall compared to 2008.

Category: Industry News
Keywords: Ford, Vauxhall, Fiat, BMW,