Overall, low-emission cars represented 3.1% of the market, which the SMMT says is because of “an increasing number of ultra-low and zero-emissions models filtering through to second owners”.
Even with record demand for electrified models, sales of used petrol and diesel models grew by 10.7% and 9.8% respectively, forming 96.6% of the total sales figure, with 7,277,291 transactions. “It’s good to see the used car market return to growth, even if activity is still below where we were pre-pandemic,” said SMMT chief executive. “With the global shortage of semiconductors set to ease later this year, releasing the squeeze on new car supply, we expect more of the latest, cleanest and zero-emissions models to become available for second owners.
“The demand for personal mobility has undoubtedly increased during the pandemic, so it’s vital we have healthy new car sales to drive fleet renewal and the used car market if we're to improve air quality and address climate change."