Hybrids are matching petrols as UK fastest selling cars, finds Auto Trader

Full hybrids and mild hybrids are matching petrols for speed of sale in the UK's used car market during April, according to Auto Trader monitoring.

The car sales marketplace also reports that April 2025 is achieving the fastest turn of used cars on record, with stock remaining on forecourts for an average of just 25 days so far this month.

Demand is remaining particularly high for 5-10-year-old cars, which have been consistently the fastest selling age bracket over the past 12 months.

This age groups is selling in just 23 days on average, however 3-5-year-old cars have accelerated to match this.

Richard Walker, Auto Trader’s data and insight director, said: “With strong demand demonstrated by this speed of sale data, it’s vital to remember that price isn’t the only lever available to help secure sales.

"Pricing strategy should be aligned with market data available on Auto Trader so you can be sure you’re maximising profit potential on every vehicle.

"Improving advert quality could be a better way to sell your stock quickly without losing profit, so consider checking your Auto Trader Performance Rating first.”

Six of the 10 most desired used cars this month are hybrids, led by the petrol hybrid Mercedes-Benz GLA with just 6.5 days average days to sell, ahead of the Vauxhall Grandland which dropped to second place from last month.

Across all makes and models, full/mild hybrid vehicles are matching petrol as the fastest selling fuel type in the UK, taking an average of 24 days to sell. This is the fastest month on record so far for full/mild hybrids since 20213, and when it comes to average prices of hybrids4 they have decreased by 11.5% from £28,352 in March 2024 to £25,260 in March 2025. At a whole market level, this March the average vehicle price was £16,915, a 1.30% increase from March 2024 which had an average vehicle cost of £16,695.