Used electric car values climb 14% on Autorola’s auction platform
Prices across all powertrains fell over the same period, and the cars coming to auction are older and higher-mileage as fleets and private owners hold on to them for longer
- The average car Autorola sold was 43 months old with 26,700 miles in Q3, up from 37 months and 25,314 miles in Q1.
- Petrol cars aged most, by seven months to 44 months; hybrids and electric cars both reached 37 months.
- The average used electric car sold on the platform in Q3 had covered 23,259 miles.
Residual values make up a large part of a lease rental, so firmer used prices for electric cars can feed through to the rates lessors quote on new electric contracts. On Autorola’s platform, electric company cars now fetch more at disposal than at the start of the year while the average across all powertrains has fallen, which can tilt whole-life cost comparisons toward electric. For firms that buy used electric cars rather than lease new ones, the same trend means a higher purchase price than at the start of the year.
“Fleets are extending their replacement cycles while consumers are holding onto their cars for longer, which is providing dealers with older part exchanges”Neil Frost, managing director, Autorola UK
Used electric car values on Autorola’s online auction platform rose 14.1% (£2,197) between the first and third quarters of 2026, from £15,486 to £17,683, according to Q3 figures Autorola released on 20 October, as reported by Fleet News. Motor Trader carried the same release’s figures on the age of cars at auction.
The data covers vehicles Autorola sold on behalf of fleets and dealers on its own platform, not the whole used market. Across all powertrains, Autorola’s figures show the average price fell 3.5% (£603), from £16,778 in Q1 to £16,175 in Q3. Electric cars were the only powertrain to rise.
Neil Frost, managing director of Autorola UK, said demand for used electric cars had now risen for a third successive quarter. He linked it to high fuel prices for petrol and diesel cars and to growing confidence as more electric cars reach the road. He also said many higher-mileage vehicles had passed through the market around the September plate change, with plenty more to come.
Separate research from Startline Motor Finance, its own October Used Car Tracker compiled by APD Global Research from 329 consumers and 60 dealers, found 38% of dealers say 300 miles is the range most used electric car buyers want. Two-thirds (65%) of dealers said buyers are becoming more interested in charging speed than range.
Sources
- Fleet News, “Double-digit increase for used EV values”, 20 October 2026. https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/double-digit-increase-for-used-ev-values
- Motor Trader, “Autorola highlights older used cars going through auction”, 20 October 2026. https://www.motortrader.com/motor-trader-news/automotive-news/autorola-highlights-older-used-cars-going-through-auction-20-10-2026
