Startline Motor Finance’s Used Car Tracker for October has revealed that more than six out of ten (61%) dealers are experiencing a strong year and anticipate a positive fourth quarter of 2025.
The survey, executed by APD Global Research, also shows that 60% of dealers are more confident about their prospects than previously.
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The confidence is bolstered by various factors, including improved stock availability, which 43% of dealers have noted.
The optimism is further supported by 38% of those surveyed who have witnessed an improvement in consumer confidence and another 36% who report better sales of electric vehicles (EVs).
Additionally, 33% of dealers recognise that the high cost of new cars is driving consumers towards the used car market, and 25% feel that pricing within the market has stabilised.
However, the outlook is not without its challenges.
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By GlobalDataA portion of the dealers, 30%, still find the market for used EVs to be tough, and 28% are cautious about the economy’s stability.
Additionally, 16% of dealers report that despite strong sales, they are facing higher overheads, and 10% continue to struggle with stock availability.
The research surveyed 300 consumers and 61 dealers.
Startline Motor Finance CEO Paul Burgess said: “We’ve been seeing convincing signs of dealer optimism in our Tracker research in recent months, but this is perhaps the strongest vote of confidence seen so far.
“Our reading of this data is that large numbers of dealers believe that some of the biggest issues they have faced in recent times – such as stock availability, electrification and consumer confidence – are all noticeably improving.
“This is not a sentiment that is uniform across the sector, but it’s clear that, for the majority of used car retailers, 2025 as a whole is shaping up to be a good year, despite the headwinds they have been encountering.”
Last month, Startline Motor Finance reported that 88% of respondents supported the UK’s ‘charging gullies’ for EVs initiative, with 62% believing it would enable residents of terraced houses to own EVs.
