Why The Used Car Market Is Fragmenting: all chat, no charts

The used car market isn’t moving as one - it’s splitting by age.In this episode of all chat, no charts, Marc and Emma break down how supply and demand are shifting across different age bands, and why retailers need to react faster than expected.Overall supply is slightly down year-on-year, but the real story sits beneath the surface. The core 5-10-year-old segment is tightening, still feeling the impact of the Covid supply gap, with around 2.5 million fewer new cars feeding into today’s used market.Meanwhile, the 3-5-year-old segment is bouncing back, with rising stock and growing demand, particularly as electric vehicles take a larger share. At the other end of the market, 10-15-year-old cars remain the most resilient, with steady supply and consistently strong demand.The takeaway: demand is still there, but it’s shifting quickly. Retailers who diversify their stock across age bands will be best placed to keep up.No slides. No dashboards. Just the signals that matter.