Used car sales slump continues, but will it last?

Sales of used cars fell for yet another month in December, when resale values and supplies of second-hand vehicles also shrank.

Data compiled by AutoGrab and published by the Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA) shows 181,724 used vehicles were sold in December compared to the previous month, representing an 8.1 per cent drop and the fourth month of decline since July.

There were 322,532 active listings, a drop of 3.8 per cent on November 2024. Figures for every state and territory bar the Northern Territory and Western Australia were down.

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However, compared to December 2023 used-car sales were up by 7.3 per cent, while the number of active listings was up by 16.7 per cent.

“Average days to sell have increased to 48.7, the highest since October, suggests that sellers are dealing with slower moving stock. This trend is expected to continue in 2025 as the growing oversupply of new vehicles creates a spillover effect into the used car market,” said AADA CEO James Voortman.

Of course, the supply situation for new vehicles could change drastically as industrial action at our nation’s ports affects availability.

The AADA noted oversupply of new vehicles was pushing down retained values, with every vehicle segment across every age category – bar 2-5 year-old light commercial vehicles – seeing a reduction.

The average time to sell a used car increased to 48.7 days, up from 47 days in November but below December 2023’s 50.9-day figure.

The AADA and AutoGrab offer the following definitions for the monthly Automotive Insights Report:

• For Sale: Level of available used and demo cars listed online by dealers and private sellers nationally at the time of reporting. AutoGrab processes and de-duplicates listings to identify and eliminate repetitions, ensuring that vehicles listed across multiple platforms are counted only once.
• Sales: Total vehicles delisted from online marketplaces, serving as a close proxy to actual sales and recorded monthly. The delisting count also reflects unique vehicles, as AutoGrab processes and deduplicates listings to identify and eliminate repetitions, ensuring that vehicles listed across multiple platforms are counted only once.

Best-selling used cars (up to 10 years old)

The list of the top 10 best-selling used cars in December 2024 was in the same order as the previous month, with the Ford Ranger once again topping the charts.

Best-selling used EVs (up to 10 years old)

Used car sales by state and territory

Sales by vehicle type

Sales by fuel type

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