Used cars, sales up: +8.9%. And second-hand diesels are running
The most popular second-hand cars are diesel-powered and are helping to age the car fleet. The figures for the first six months of 2024
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Key points
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The second-hand car market closed the first half of 2024 with a positive sign, recording an 8.9% growth in the number of transfers of ownership net of mini-transfers (source: ACI) compared to the same period in 2023. A figure that once again confirms Italians' preference for second-hand cars, with the digital market able to meet the demands of quality demand with new-generation cars.
Among the fuels in the first half of 2024 in used cars, diesel (44.6%) and petrol (36.6%) continue to dominate at the expense of electric cars, which stand at a 0.7% share, and with hybrids starting to gain in popularity (6.8%).
Diesel continues to lead among fuels
.Confirmation of the increased interest in diesel power in the first six months of the year is also provided by the forecast for the next six months when, according to the Centro Studi AutoScout24, Europe's largest online automotive marketplace, among those intending or considering buying a used car, diesel continues to hold the main share (42.7%), followed by petrol (36%). Shy interest in hybrids remains stable (6.6%), thanks in part to the increase in new car sales in recent years, which is creating a market for second-hand cars: on AutoScout24 in the first half of 2024, the share increased by more than 60% compared to the first half of 2023.
Electric cars register 2.2% of preferences, a slightly better figure than the official Aci data for net transfers of ownership in the first half of 2024 (0.7% market share), but still low. Despite an offer that is starting to grow, as shown by AutoScout24 data, with an increase in the first six months of 2024 of +61% of electric cars available on the platform compared to the previous year, the high price and lack of infrastructure continue to be major barriers for most Italians.
Budget and average price go down and the fleet is renewed
Used cars once again proved to be the preferred choice of Italians, who on average forecast a spending budget of €16,000, down from the €19,000 forecast at the end of 2023, but in line with the trend in average prices, which fell by 4.3% compared to the same period a year earlier and grew by +39.4% on 2019. In the first half of 2024, in fact, the average price of a used vehicle for sale on AutoScout24 was €21,900, compared to €22,500 in the first half of 2023 and €15,700 in the same period of 2019.
