Buyers choose used EVs and hybrids in record numbers, but ICE still rules supreme

Sales of used hybrid cars and used electric cars have leapt by roughly a third year-on-year. This comes as an increasing number of electrified vehicles hit the second-hand market after private or fleet ownership, although used electrified car purchases remain a fraction of petrol and diesel equivalents.

Throughout the first quarter of 2026, almost 87,000 used EVs changed hands, representing a 32 per cent year-on-year increase. Similar market growth was seen for full-hybrid cars of which around 128,000 used examples were sold, roughly 28 per cent more than in the same period (January to March) in 2025.

Speaking in light of a relatively flat used car market  – overall used car sales dipped by 0.2 per cent in Q1 to a total of roughly two million – the chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Mike Hawes, explained how “High fuel prices, given the conflict in Iran, may increase demand [for EVs] even further, but to maintain this momentum, every fiscal and policy lever must be pulled to ensure a healthy new car market that delivers zero emission vehicles that can in future flow through to the used market.”

Sales of used hybrids and EVs are still dwarfed by the numbers for used petrol and diesel cars. Over 1.1 million used petrol cars and 600,000 used diesel cars were sold in the first three months of 2026, meaning EVs only account for one in 23 used cars sold, while electrified cars in total (EVs, hybrids and plug-in hybrids) make up just over one in ten. With this in mind, it’s not surprising to see that no EVs make the UK’s top-10 best selling used cars list, which remains led by the ever-popular Ford Fiesta.

If the used electric-car market is to continue its growth it will require a healthy influx of new models that can then filter through to used buyers. This isn’t a foregone conclusion, though, as lower-than-expected appetite for EVs from new car buyers means that supply may not be there to meet demand.

In fact, despite record new electric car registrations in March, the SMMT says it’s downgraded its overall estimates for electric car market share in 2026 from 28 per cent to 26 per cent – well behind the 33 per cent required by the Government’s ZEV Mandate targets. While there is some evidence that high fuel prices are pushing new drivers towards EVs, this in conjunction with the £3,750 Electric Car Grant doesn’t seem to be quite enough of an incentive. This is especially true with the impending introduction of the eVED pay-per-mile tax in 2028 expected to stifle electric car sales further.

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