The mighty Micra rockets off UK forecourts in May

Data from Auto Trader, the UK’s largest marketplace for used and new cars, revealed that the mighty Nissan Micra (2017 petrol automatic) was the UK’s fastest selling used car in May, taking an average of just 17 days to leave forecourts. It marks the first time the iconic Japanese hatchback has taken the top spot on the national top 10 list of fastest selling used cars.

Sitting at the opposite end of the size spectrum, the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLA Class (diesel manual), was May’s second fastest selling, also taking an average of 17 days to turn, followed by the 2016 Ford EcoSport (petrol automatic), which took a respectable average of 18 days.

Whilst diesels accounted for just two of the national top 10 list of fastest selling used cars, it was a different story across the regions. Diesels took the top spot in 11 of the 13 regions and countries tracked: East England (2016 Ford Kuga – diesel manual – 24 days); East Midlands (2016 Ford Kuga – diesel manual – 16 days); London (2014 BMW 5 Series – diesel automatic – 12); North East (2015 Nissan Qashqai – diesel manual – 17 days); North West (2015 Jaguar XF – diesel automatic – 18 days); Northern Ireland (2015 Ford Kuga – diesel manual – 29 days); Scotland(2015 Kia Sportage – diesel manual – 16 days); South West (2015 Audi A3 – diesel manual – 25 days); Wales (2015 Nissan Qashqai – diesel manual – 33 days); West Midlands (2015 Hyundai i30 – diesel manual – 15 days); and Yorkshire (2015 Vauxhall Zafira – diesel manual – 22 days).

A similarly positive story could be found in last month’s Retail Price Index findings, which found the average price of a used diesel increased 5% year-on-year, averaging £14,448 in May.

Hitting targets will always be determined by how quickly a retailer can turn their stock around and using data is the key to speeding it up. Users of i-Control, Auto Trader’s data management solution, took an average of just 28 days to sell a car in April, compared to a market average of 63 – 55% faster than those that don’t use the data management tool.

Karolina Edwards-Smajda, Auto Trader Retailer & Consumer Products Director, said: “Whilst there are undeniable wider market challenges, this is the third consecutive month used diesels have dominated our fastest selling cars tracker, which is testament to its remarkable resilience. Clearly there remains a strong appetite amongst consumers for the greater efficiency diesel offer and contrary to the negative tone surrounding the fuel debate, they offer a great opportunity for retailers.

“Often, the key to success in today’s challenging marketplace is knowing which cars are the most desirable in your area, and it’s here utilising data to complement your own expertise can make all the difference. Tools like i-Control also enable a dealership to price stock to the market and to reprice it regularly to ensure it remains attractive to buyers to improve speed of sale. It helps deliver an efficient forecourt that cuts costs, boosts turnover and increases profit.”

The UK’s Top 10 Fastest Selling Used Cars in May 2018: