EVs’ share of the used car market grows, but accounts for just under 12% of the ageing parc

15 May 2026  

While the UK’s used car market was flat overall during the first quarter of the year, down just -0.2% as 2,016,232 vehicles changed hands, transactions of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) grew by 32.0% to 86,943 units, as nearly one in 23 buyers (4.3%) made the switch, up from around one in 30 last year.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which recorded these figures, this growth is the result of sustained investment by manufacturers into new models, enabling a massive choice of new zero emission vehicles in every segment –  supported by substantial discounts and government incentives – which are filtering into the used market in ever greater numbers.  

Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) sales also rose, by 27.6% to 128,039 units, increasing their market share to 6.4%, while plug-in hybrid (PHEV) transactions fell by -8.9% to 20,021 units, comprising just 1.0% of the market. Combined, electrified vehicles accounted for 11.7% of used cars finding new owners in quarter one of 2026.  

Petrol remained the best-selling fuel type, despite transactions falling -0.6% to 1,147,969 units, while diesel demand experienced a -6.7% decline to 629,987 units, reflecting reduced supply from the new car market. Even so, conventionally fuelled cars still accounted for 88.2% of total transactions in the first quarter.  

Other trends which can be seen in the figures released by the SMMT include a small fall in sales of supermini vehicles (-1.0%), although at 648,229 units, they remained the most popular used purchase, accounting for 32.2% of the market. Lower medium was the next biggest segment, with 546,249 units changing hands, an increase of 0.2% to a 27.1% share. Dual-purpose vehicles saw the highest growth, up 5.4% to 357,295 units, while multipurpose vehicles experienced the sharpest decline, of -6.5%, to 69,886 units.  

The average age of the UK vehicle parc now stands at a new high of 9.7 years – up from eight years in 2019.

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