Tuesday 12 May 2026 12:25 pm
Used EV Sales Soar as Drivers Look to Curb Fuel Costs
Second-hand electric car sales have hit record highs in the first three months of the year, as improving consumer confidence and rising fuel prices pushed more buyers toward used EVs.
According to new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), just shy of 87,000 used battery EVs changed hands during that period – the highest quarterly total on record. The soaring sales come despite a wider slump in the used car market, with overall purchases slipping 0.2 per cent to just over two million vehicles.
Industry figures said buyers were increasingly turning to used EVs as a way to lower monthly running costs, all while benefiting from a growing range of affordable second-hand models entering the market. Iain Reid, global content director at Carwow, said this mirrored “both cost pressures and expanding consumer confidence in electrified vehicles”.
“The figures mirror our own data, which shows that used EV enquiries are up 30 per cent compared with February and March,” Reid said. “Some consumers are looking at the price of fuel and seeing a used EV as a way to reduce their monthly motoring costs.”
Carwow also said a recent poll of 300 customers found 39 per cent were now more likely to buy an EV or hybrid because of the global political situation and fuel price uncertainty. The used EV boom comes as electric vehicles become increasingly mainstream across the UK market.
More than 137,000 new electric cars were registered in Britain during the first quarter of 2026, according to separate SMMT figures, while EVs now account for 22.4 per cent of all new car sales.
More EVs Hit the Market
The growth in second-hand EV sales is being driven partly by the increasing number of electric cars entering the used market after several years of strong fleet and company car demand. Battery EVs accounted for 4.3 per cent of all used car transactions in the quarter, up from 3.3 per cent a year ago. Hybrid sales also rose strongly, climbing 27.6 per cent to 128,039 vehicles, while plug-in hybrid transactions fell 8.9 per cent.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said rising petrol prices linked to tensions in the Middle East could push demand even higher. “Better news is the record demand for used electric vehicles, as growing choice from manufacturers feeds through into the second-hand market,” Hawes said. “High fuel prices, given the conflict in Iran, may increase demand even further.”
The UK now has more than 2m fully electric cars on the road, while public charging infrastructure has expanded to more than 92,000 charge points nationwide.
