Where do European dealers buy and how do they sell used cars? Research

In contrast to the situation in Ukraine, in the European Union most used cars are sold by dealers - auto commissions, auto dealerships, car yards and other specialized companies. carVertical conducted a survey among its car dealer customers from Italy (63 companies), France (61 dealers) and Poland (54 sellers) and presented the results. The car market research institute selected the most interesting data, translated them into Ukrainian and published the main conclusions.

Average age and car prices

Most of the used cars sold by car dealers belong to the age categories: 3-5 years (50%) and 6-9 years (33%). Older cars (10+ years) make up only 13% of all cars sold, and the share of almost new cars (1-2 years) is small - about 7%. In general, the average age of all cars sold by the surveyed dealers is 6.1 years.

As for the average cost of cars, there are significant differences. French buyers prefer more expensive cars (average price 30,000 euros), while Polish customers buy cars at an average price of 21,300 euros. Italian buyers, who typically opt for smaller cars, pay an average of €17,400.

How much time does it take to sell one car?

Most dealers sell a car within one month (35%). In 28% of cases, the buyer is found faster, in 1-3 weeks, and sometimes the sale takes 2-3 months (also 28%).

French dealers tend to sell cars more slowly at an average of 5.6 weeks, which makes sense given the higher average price. Polish dealers sell faster (in an average of 4.9 weeks) than Italian dealers (in an average of 5.3 weeks), although the Italians have cheaper cars.

Where do car dealers buy cars?

The survey showed that car dealers most often buy cars from private individuals and businesses, in particular through the trade-in service. However, there are differences between countries.

Almost half of French dealers (48%) buy cars from authorized dealers and 38% from online auctions. In Poland, the interest in online auctions is even greater - 61% of local sellers. In Italy, 46% of car dealers regularly buy cars at online auctions.

In both Italy and Poland, dealers also buy cars from authorized dealers, but less - 41% and 26%, respectively.

• Learn more about in-depth analytical research, expert forecasts and educational initiatives that contribute to the creation of a transparent and civilized car market in Ukraine and stay up to date with the latest trends and gain valuable information for successful activities in the automotive industry. Visit our partner's website   Institute of Car Market Research.

Where do car dealers sell used cars?

French and Italian dealers rarely use online auctions, while in Poland it is the most popular sales method (69%). Instead, French and Italian dealers actively use online marketplaces (86% and 73%, respectively).

Italian dealers most often use physical auto markets (67%), in France this method is popular among 23% of dealers, and in Poland only 2% of respondents use offline auto markets.

From which countries are used cars exported and imported?

The European Union is a large economic zone where dealers actively exchange cars. 80% of French dealers buy cars from other countries. In Poland, this indicator is somewhat lower (70%), and in Italy - 56%.

Polish dealers sell the most cars abroad (59%), followed by Italians (48%) and French (43%).

Germany is the main source of used cars for European dealers, followed by Belgium. French dealers buy 72% of cars in Germany and 49% in Belgium. Italians - 46% in Germany and 22% in Belgium. Polish dealers buy 48% of cars in Germany and 35% in Belgium.

Other popular countries for buying used cars include the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Austria, France and Spain.

Polish car dealers provide more information to buyers

Polish car dealers are much more active in providing information to buyers compared to their counterparts from France and Italy. They offer a test drive (87%), allow a technical inspection (83%), include detailed information in the ad (70%) and provide a car history report (62%). Only a small proportion of French (9%) and Italian (6%) dealers offer a car history report to their customers.

• The information in this article was prepared with the support of our partners   Institute of Car Market Research.