Average price used far above what consumers are willing to pay

The average asking price of a used car offered on Gas Pedal and AutoTrack rose to €24,332 in January. A hefty amount that is not in line with the average search price of consumers. In fact, the difference between the average search price and the average asking price has increased enormously.

The average consumer budget during the search for another used car was €19,269 in August 2022, according to Gas Pedal and AutoTrack. That has now dropped to €18,974. This means that the difference between the average search and asking price has increased from €2,470 in August to a whopping €5,358 in January this year. The average second-hand price is therefore more than 28 percent above the amount for which the average consumer searches.

Diesel plummets

The popularity of used cars with a diesel engine has declined sharply. Compared to January 2022, no less than 40 percent less often used diesels were searched for on Gaspead.nl and Autotrack last month. Searches for petrol cars were slightly more frequent (1.45 percent) than a year ago, but we see greater growth in the number of searches for electric and hybrid cars with a petrol engine. Electric cars were searched for 5.6 percent more often in January than in January last year. To hybrid cars with a petrol engine no less than 16.85 percent more often.

Not only diesels are falling in popularity, cars with a manual gearbox are also losing ground. In January 2022, 23.2 percent were still looking for a used car with a manual transmission. A year later, this percentage is 19.7 percent.

Netherlands station country

Another notable trend: consumers are increasingly looking for hatchbacks and sedans. Station wagons lost some popularity, but the practical estate is still the most popular body style in the Netherlands. In January 2022, just under 27 percent of searches consisted of station wagons. In January this year, that percentage was just under 25 percent. In January, 23.8 percent of searches were for a hatchback. A year earlier this percentage was still 21.8 percent. SUVs accounted for 14.7 percent of searches in January.

Most popular occasions

The Volkswagen Golf was the most popular second-hand vehicle on Gas Pedal and AutoTrack in January. In fact, the entire Top 10 is full of the usual suspects. For example, we find the Volkswagen Polo in position two and the BMW 3-series, Audi A3 and Ford Focus in positions three to five. Black is by far the most popular ‘color’ for a used car. In no less than 27.8 of the searches, a black car is being hunted. Black, white, gray, blue and silver together account for a whopping 77 percent of searches. The other colors in order of popularity: red, green, brown, beige, orange, yellow, cream, purple, pink and gold.