Used passenger car sales continue to grow in Spain

While new car sales continue to climb, it should be noted that used cars, the Vehículos de Ocasión (V.O.), are growing at a much faster rate. In fact, this past March these transactions rose by 20.3% compared with the same month in 2016. This increase highlights one of the problems of the Spanish vehicle fleet: the age of the cars on our roads. Furthermore, Ancove, the association of vehicle dealers, warns of other problems.

Among these is the presence of used car sellers posing as private individuals in order to avoid the legal procedures and obligations that apply to professional dealers. This needs to be approached with caution, as it can lead to many problems for buyers of this type of vehicle. The lack of a warranty may leave the car prone to unexpected breakdowns and with no guarantee coverage from the seller.

In fact, private sales account for 46% of the transactions carried out during March, a total of 77,827 cars out of the 169,191 vehicles transferred during the month. It is precisely in this segment that cars over ten years old are found, which present the greatest problems due to their condition and because they pollute more. This problem is compounded by the restrictions being introduced in major cities across Europe.

The oldest used cars continue to be the best sellers among private individualsCars over ten years old account for 59.6% of all used vehicles sold in March, an even higher percentage than in the previous month. Turning to younger cars, between one and five years old, which are much safer and have better mechanics, 40,136 were registered, while in the five to ten years old segment 28,247 vehicles were sold, a figure slightly lower than the same period last year.

The best-selling used cars were the SEAT Ibiza, with 7,250 units, the Volkswagen Golf, with 5,778 cars sold, and in third place came the Renault Megane, with 5,413 units transferred. In terms of the provinces where the most used vehicles were sold, Toledo led with a 69.3% increase over March 2016, followed by Castellón, with a 42.2% increase, and Barcelona, with a 37.9% rise. The age of the Spanish car fleet remains a problem, as you can see.

Source | Ancove