- New data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that the UK’s used EV market continues to grow at impressive pace.
- Across 2025, 274,815 fully electric cars switched hands on the used car market, marking a 45.7% rise in used EV sales compared to 2024.
- EVs also accounted for a larger market share of the used market, up from 2.5% in 2024 to 3.5% in 2025.
More used car buyers than ever are going electric
As we’ve already covered in our best used electric cars guide, the UK’s used car market can offer drivers considerable savings over purchasing a new EV. Also, now largely gone are the concerns around battery longevity, thanks to used retailers implementing battery testing programmes along with fresh research which shows that even high mileage EVs can still have healthy batteries with much of their original capacity left.
This new high for used EV transactions follows years of record new EV registrations, many of which were originally sold to business fleets or on leases. These have now filtered down to create an increasingly healthy supply of used EVs. Considering that in December last year, nearly one in four new passenger cars registered was fully-electric, it looks as if this strong supply of used EVs is here to stay – particularly if uptake continues to rise ahead of the UK’s 2030 ZEV mandate. As we can see from previous SMMT reports, used EV sales have seen year-on-year rises above 40% for a prolonged period now.
Mike Hawes, Chief Executive at the SMMT, commented:
“A third year of used car sales growth underscores the market’s resilience, with recovering new car demand revitalising choice and affordability – especially for EVs – in the used market. The record number of buyers making the switch signals growing confidence in zero and ultra-low emission motoring. Maintaining this momentum, however, and driving the fleet renewal needed to decarbonise our roads at pace, must start with ensuring a strong and sustainable new car market.”
