Hybrid cars became the UK’s second most popular used car fuel type in May behind petrol, new UK data from market intelligence specialist Indicata shows.

Drivers who haven’t gone for a fully electric car are turning to hybrids instead as a stepping stone

Its latest Market Watch insights report reveals that hybrid sales accounted for 20.6% of used car sales, storming ahead of diesel, which fell to third place for the very first time with 18.5%.

Indicata, part of Autorola Group, said it reinforces just how quickly the used market is currently changing and how many customers are opting to buy a used hybrid at a lower price point.

But used petrol cars remained the nation’s favourite with a market share of 54.7% while fully electric cars comprised just 6.2%, showing there’s a mountain to climb still.

Used EV prices also fell again in May by 3% against an overall market price fall of 0.5%.

More positively, used EV stock levels continue to move significantly in 2023 with Market Days’ Supply (MDS) falling further in May from 73 to 60 days. The MDS metric measures the available stock against sales at the current run rate to determine how many selling days the available stock can cover. The fall reinforces that the recent fall in used EV prices is having a positive impact on sales, but the MDS still remains higher than hybrid at 53 days and both petrol and diesel at 44 days.

Indicata’s data also shows that the Tesla Model 3 was the fastest-selling used car overall, which shows that a fall in prices has helped contribute to a growth in sales for the brand.

Meanwhile, the UK’s top-selling models remain very consistent with VW Golf still in first place ahead of the Ford Fiesta and Mercedes A-Class.

Jon Mitchell, Indicata UK’s group sales director, commented: “The used market is moving on a monthly basis, and it is interesting to see hybrid sales on the rise. We believe those drivers who haven’t gone for an EV currently have bought a hybrid instead as they provide some of the benefits of moving to electric at a lower price point.

“The demand for EVs continues to slowly improve as prices fall and this is a good longer-term sign for the market’s overall move to electric.”