Vauxhall’s Corsa-e electric hatchback has become the first EV to top Aston Barclay’s used car desirability index, showing drivers’ increasing appetite to go electric.

The Vauxhall Corsa-e is the first EV to top Aston Barclay’s used car desirability index

Already the best-selling car in the UK in petrol and diesel guise, the supermini is now also the most sought-after wholesale used car in its battery electric version, according to Aston Barclay’s July’s desirability index.

Furthermore, its rise to the top has been meteoric after coming from nowhere to top the charts – reinforcing the increased demand for EVs at a retail level.

Aston Barclay’s list of the most desirable used cars – based on web views prior to sale, number of physical and online bids per sale and the sale price achieved as a percentage of CAP Average – also saw the BMW i3 electric hatchback slot into 11^th place.

Meanwhile, the BMW 1 Series made it into the July index in third place for the first time while the Smart Fortwo was in fifth place.

Demand for premium SUVs and saloons remains high, with the BMW X5 placed second and the Mercedes-Benz GLE in fourth, with the BMW 5 series and Volvo XC90 also in the mix.

Aston Barclay also noted that dealers are still only buying higher-value used cars to order, creating fierce competition for the more desirable cars when they go under the hammer.

July also saw the Mitsubishi Outlander, Renault Scenic, Toyota CH-R and Hyundai Kona all appear in the index for the first time.

“The used market is currently split into two camps, the higher-value used cars that are being bought by dealers to order and the everyday used cars including smaller EVs that comprise the mainstay of a dealer’s forecourt stock,” explained Martin Potter, Aston Barclay’s chief customer officer.

“The Corsa-e, MG ZS, BMW i3 and the 1 Series all fall into the latter camp, which keeps dealer stock turn moving,” he added.