The UK’s used car market remains as popular as always, and unsurprisingly, as in the wider automotive market, EVs have been an increasingly dominant presence in recent years. Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that the UK purchased over two million used cars in the first quarter of this year, a 2.5% year-on-year increase.
The same marketplace that helped most of us buy our first cars could be the way to encourage wider uptake of EVs in the general public and address some of the biggest barriers to uptake, from skepticism to affordability. How can the EV market capitalise on this wider trend to help electrify our future transport?
Second-hand EV sales grow 57% year-on-year
Much of the data on the UK’s second-hand EV market comes courtesy of the SMMT, which has been tracking the increased penetration of EVs into both the new and second-hand marketplaces over a number of years. The SMMT notes that last year, sales of second-hand battery electric vehicles (BEVs) reached a record-breaking market share of 2.5% of the UK second-hand car market, rising 57.4% and hitting a record 188,382 sales in 2024.
The market share of second-hand plug in hybrids and hybrids also saw a substantial uptick, growing by 32.2% to 92,120 units for plug in hybrids, and hybrids rising 39.3% to sell 306,114 units. Last year’s impressive record was immediately beaten in the first quarter of 2025, which saw 65,850 second-hand BEV sales – a rise of 58.5% which led to BEVs taking a record 3.3% market share.
It’s worth adding that these figures for second-hand EV sales are likely to be something of an undercount, as they are unable to include more informal transactions such as street-side sales or online marketplaces such as AutoTrader, Gumtree or eBay.
Furthermore, prices for used EVs have been plummeting in recent years. According to used car analytics firm Marketcheck, the average listed price of a used EV in the UK has dropped by over £7,000 between May 2023 and May 2025, an almost 25% reduction – the average price of a used EV in the UK dropped from £30,441 to £23,029.52 over these two years. These figures support the growing popularity of the used EV market, suggesting that second hand EVs are becoming more affordable than ever.
However, some have questioned if the plummeting value of second-hand EVs could be posing a threat to the overall growth of the EV sector, including the market for new EVs.
A recent report by the British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association (BVRLA) has noted that the “freefalling” value of used EVs is “destroying value on an epic scale”, and costing fleets “hundreds of millions of pounds” as the resale value of their assets plummet.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, agreed, noting that while skyrocketing sales of secondhand EVs demonstrate a strong appetite for EVs at lower price point: “Ensuring ongoing growth, however, means maintaining that affordability, along with supply, which requires meaningful fiscal incentives to stimulate consumer demand for new EVs and removing the VED expensive car tax disincentive that risks dragging down used EV affordability for years to come.”
Used EVs tackling the affordability question
While the answer to this question will take years to reveal itself as the relatively young markets for both new and used EVs mature, some of the UK’s devolved governments are working to boost the market for secondhand EVs.
People living in Scotland are able to access an interest-free loan of up to £23,000, funded by Transport Scotland, to purchase a second-hand battery electric van or car, or £5,000 to purchase an electric moped or motorcycle. Since this loan scheme was launched in financial year 2020/2021, a total of 2,216 loans have been provided through the scheme, with uptake numbers rising significantly year on year, from 96 in the scheme’s first year to 1,148 in the financial year 2023/2024.
The total value of finance provided thus far through the scheme has reached almost £48 million as of the end of the financial year 2023/2024. There have so far been no plans announced to replicate this scheme in any other part of the UK, but with the demand for second hand EVs skyrocketing, this may be the piece of the puzzle needed to help more people make the switch.
The falling price of used EVs, and any efforts to provide interest-free finance to support secondhand EV purchase, can go a significant way to addressing arguably the biggest barrier to EV uptake: affordability. A recent report from analytics firm Cornwall Insight revealed that new EVs cost around 40% more than comparable petrol or diesel vehicles, something that Cornwall Insight states is undermining the environmental and financial benefits of switching to an EV.
In fact, Cornwall Insight specifically recommends expanding Transport Scotland’s used EV loan scheme across the UK to address this affordability gap. Tilly Boultwood, analyst at Cornwall Insight, called affordability “a critical barrier to EV adoption”, noting: “If EVs remain the preserve of the wealthy, the transition to zero-emission transport will be delayed and uneven”.
Tackling skepticism and doubt about used EV quality
Naturally, when buying a used car of any kind, many people have concerns about the quality of the car they’re purchasing, and EVs, as a relatively new technology, are arguably more prone to this concern and doubt than traditional petrol and diesel cars. This can prove a major problem for businesses, both those who buy EVs for fleet usage and those who sell EVs.
Enter EV battery testing firm ClearWatt, which recently partnered with EVA England to help give purchasers more confidence when buying used EVs. EVA England members can now access ClearWatt’s proprietary EV battery testing technology, which allows users to test EV battery health and performance using only a smartphone and ClearWatt’s app. Real-time performance data is collected and then combined with over 50 supplementary data points to provide an extremely detailed report on the health of an EV battery.
This report also includes information on home and public charging costs for the specific vehicle being tested, tax and exemption data and other data points. The data report gathered from this is comprehensive, and could prove a useful tool to boost confidence in used EVs among more concerned buyers.
