EU used car prices: wholesale prices rose slightly in Q1 2025 due to demand for petrol and diesel cars

In the first quarter of 2025, the AUTO1 Group price index showed a 2.7% increase in used car prices, starting from an index value of 135.2 in January and reaching 138.8 in March. This trend reflects the recent strong demand in the used car market and is mainly driven by higher prices for gasoline and diesel cars:

Gasoline cars: This group saw the largest increase in the index, reaching 115.7 in March, compared to 113.3 in February and 112.3 in January, representing a 3.0% increase over the first quarter of 2025. However, the year-on-year comparison shows that gasoline car prices remained almost stable with a small decrease of 0.3% from March 2024 to March 2025, demonstrating a return to 2024 levels.

Diesel cars: During the first quarter of 2025, diesel car prices showed a slight increase, the index rose to 112.2 in March compared to 111.8 in February and 111.1 in January, reflecting a 1.0% increase in the first quarter of 2025. Over the year, diesel car prices increased only slightly (by 0.8%) compared to March 2024 (111.3) to March 2025 (112.2).

Hybrid vehicles (PHEV and HEV): Hybrid vehicle prices remained largely unchanged, with the index reaching 108.8 in March compared to 108.2 in February and 108.4 in January, representing a 0.4% increase in the first quarter of 2025. However, year-on-year, hybrid vehicles had the highest price increase by fuel type, with a 1.3% increase compared to March 2024 (107.4) to March this year (108.8).

Electric Vehicles (BEV): The AUTO1 Group Price Index for electric vehicles showed fluctuations in the first quarter of 2025, starting at 102.5 in January, decreasing to 100.2 in February and returning to 102.5 in March. This indicates a stable trend during the first quarter without contrasting changes. Furthermore, the year-on-year comparison shows stability in electric vehicle prices with a slight decrease of 0.2% from March 2024 to March 2025.

“The first quarter of 2025 saw an increase in prices for diesel and gasoline cars, while hybrids and electric cars remained unchanged. For electric cars, this represents a period of relative stability after we saw a significant price drop of 11.7% for used BEV cars in the first quarter of 2024, when the index changed from 116.3 in January 2024 to 102.7 in March 2024. The dynamics of used car prices in the first quarter, as well as compared to last year, provide an encouraging outlook for the coming months,” said Moritz Lück, Senior Vice President Sales and Operations at AUTO1 Group.

The AUTO1 Group price index for the previous month shows continued growth in used car prices in March 2025, with the index rising from 137.0 in February to 138.8, reflecting a 1.3% increase.

On an annualized basis, used car prices increased by 1.1% compared to March 2024. Used car prices remain 19.5% higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, as measured in March 2019, when the index was 116.1.

Reference : The AUTO1 price index shows the monthly change in prices for used cars in the EU. It is calculated based on an analysis of over 4.9 million used car sales transactions across Europe. The starting point of this index is January 2015 with a base value of 100, against which all subsequent values are determined. The fuel price index shows the change in wholesale prices for used cars, including petrol, diesel, hybrid vehicles (PHEV, HEV) and electric vehicles (BEV). The starting point of the fuel/fuel type index is January 2019. Fresh cuts are published monthly.

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