UK used car market, October 2026: cars take longer to sell, but used EV prices keep rising

Used cars took longer to sell in October. Across thousands of UK dealer websites tracked by GetCarWise, petrol cars spent an average of 42 days on sale, five days more than in September, and diesels 49 days, six more. Asking prices hardly moved: like for like, they fell by about 0.7%, the same as the month before. Electric cars were the exception on both counts. They sold as quickly as they did in September, and they were the only fuel type to rise in price.

The two fastest-selling used cars in October were both Teslas. At the other end of the table were older cars and premium models, with the Range Rover Sport taking longest to sell. Just over half of the cars that sold, 52%, were priced under £10,000.

In this report, a car counts as sold when its listing is removed from the dealer’s website. That usually means it has sold, but not always.

October 2026 at a glance

Based on tens of thousands of used cars removed from UK dealer websites across September and October 2026.

Used cars took longer to sell in October

Time on sale rose for every fuel type except electric.

Average days from when we first see a listing to when it is removed. Because we measure on dealers’ own websites, our figures run longer than marketplace measures, so they are best compared month to month rather than with other sources.

Petrol and diesel accounted for most of the change, adding five and six days respectively. Hybrids added a day. Electric cars averaged 31 days in both months, making them the quickest fuel type to sell for the second month in a row.

Age made a bigger difference than fuel. Cars ten years old and over averaged 45 days on sale, up from 38 in September, an increase of 18%. Cars aged six to nine years added nearly four days. Cars up to two years old were the only age group to sell slightly faster than in September.

Some slowing is normal at this time of year. The September plate change brings buyers into showrooms, and October is usually quieter once it has passed. This year there was also the Autumn Budget on 28 October, and uncertainty in the weeks before it may have held some buyers back. Even so, an extra five to six days for petrol and diesel is a bigger change than we would expect from the season alone.

Are used car prices falling? Slightly, except electric

Like for like, asking prices fell by about 0.7% in October, matching the fall in September. Two months of small falls point to prices drifting rather than dropping.

But the picture splits sharply by fuel type.

Like-for-like change compares the same model, year, fuel and gearbox in October and September, with a minimum of five cars in each group.

Electric was the only fuel type where prices rose, by 3.4%. Electric cars are about 4% of our sample, so the exact figure should be treated with some caution, but the direction matches other sources (see below). Diesel fell the most, by 1.1%, and remains the weakest fuel for values. Petrol and hybrids fell by 0.7% and 0.9%.

By age, cars up to two years old fell the most, by 1.3%. Cars aged three to five years were almost unchanged, down 0.2%.

How October 2026 compares with other market data

Other October reports point the same way on prices. Auto Trader’s Retail Price Index recorded the average used car asking price at £17,321, flat on September, with used EV prices up 1.3% for a sixth consecutive monthly rise. Cazana reported prices of three-year-old cars unchanged on the month, with EVs up 2% and diesel the weakest fuel, down 0.6%.

The SMMT’s Q3 figures show EVs made up 4.8% of used car sales in July to September, up 23% on a year earlier. Our 4% electric share is in a similar range.

What types of used cars sold in October 2026

The fuel mix was almost identical to September.

Share of cars removed from dealer websites in October 2026, where the fuel type is known.

Petrol and diesel together made up 88% of cars sold by the dealers we track. Electric remains a small share of the used market, but it is the share that is selling fastest.

The Ford Fiesta was again the most sold model. The Focus, Golf, Corsa and Qashqai made up the rest of the top five, in the same order as September.

The fastest and slowest-selling used cars in October 2026

The Tesla Model Y was October’s fastest-selling used car at 24 days on sale, followed by the Model 3 at 26 days. The Model 3 was fastest in September, at 23 days.

Rankings cover models sold by 30 or more dealers, with at least 125 sales, ranked by average time on sale.

After the two Teslas, the quickest sellers were compact SUVs (T-Roc, X-Trail, Q2 and Tucson), smaller hatchbacks (Sandero, Ibiza and i20) and the Ford Ranger pickup. The slow list is mostly premium models: the Range Rover Sport took 60 days, two and a half times as long as a Model Y, and Mercedes-Benz had three models in the bottom ten. Two Ford vans, the Transit Connect and Transit Custom, were also among the slowest. The pattern is the same as in September.

What it means for you

If you’re buying

Diesel cars and premium models are taking longest to sell. The Range Rover Sport, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series averaged seven to nine weeks on sale in October, which gives buyers more time and more room to negotiate. Electric cars are the opposite: they are selling quickly and their prices are rising, so there is less reason to wait.

If you’re selling or part-exchanging

Petrol cars took an average of 42 days to sell in October, and diesels 49. Pricing realistically from the start is likely to work better than cutting the price later. If you’re selling an electric car, conditions are better: EVs are selling faster than any other fuel type, and prices rose in October.

If you’re a dealer

Older stock slowed the most. Cars ten years old and over took 45 days to sell, up from 38 in September and a week longer than three-to-five-year-old cars, which took 38 days. With winter ahead, it may be worth reviewing prices on older diesel and premium stock now.

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