Hybrid and electric vehicles rev up second-hand market
Australians’ growing love affair with fuel-efficient vehicles has spread to the second-hand car market; There are figures showing that hybrid and electric models attract more candidates.
But plug-in hybrid electric cars are growing fastest in popularity, becoming the only type of vehicles to see an increase in sales.
The Australian Automotive Dealers Association and AutoGrab published the findings on Tuesday in a report revealing second-hand car sales fell in December and were taking longer to sell.
The news comes a week after data showed that new vehicle sales rose slightly in 2025, driven by purchases of hybrids and plug-in hybrids.
The Automotive Insights Report analyzed second-hand vehicle sales across private and dealer listings in December and found Australians purchased 171,837 cars during the month; This figure decreased by 11 percent compared to November.
Sales fell in all Australian states and territories, but the biggest declines were seen in Queensland (14.8 per cent), the Northern Territory (14.6 per cent) and NSW (12.7 per cent).
The number of cars listed for sale also fell by 1.7 percent during the month, and association president James Voortman said that sales lasted an average of 47 days, and that this was evidence that the market was cooling down.
“December capped off a year in which momentum in the used car market has steadily waned,” he said.
“Longer selling days are now a clear trend, reflecting increased price sensitivity among buyers and a more balanced market environment compared to the rising conditions of recent years.”
Mr Voortman said low-emission vehicles such as electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars all increased their used market share compared to December 2024 and represented 8.9 per cent of all second-hand cars sold.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles were the only vehicle type to record growth, up 30.3 percent in December, despite rising from a low base.
Electric cars retained most of their value in December, at 82.9 percent, but took longer to sell than all cars, at 53.8 days on average.
Tesla vehicles were the most sought-after EVs, with the Model 3 topping the sales chart, followed by the Model Y, while the BYD Atto 3 came in third.
Of all the vehicles, the Ford Ranger achieved the most sales, reflecting the trend in new vehicles, followed by another vehicle, Toyota’s HiLux.
Small and midsize cars round out the top five sellers: Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30 and Mazda CX-5.
