Yet another positive outcome in October for the Italian second-hand vehicle market. Changes in ownership of four-wheelers net of mini-transfers (temporary transfers in the name of the dealer pending resale to the end customer) recorded an increase of 10.3% compared to October 2022, which however fell to 5.2% in terms of daily average, due to the presence of an extra working day. For every 100 new cars, 197 used ones were sold (i.e. almost double the first registrations) in October and 184 in the first ten months of the year. As far as engines are concerned, on the used market it is always traditional fuel systems (diesel and petrol) that occupy the top of the ranking. However, sales of second-hand petrol hybrid cars are constantly growing, with a monthly increase of 71%, reaching a market share of 5.3%. On the contrary, the market for second-hand electric cars has not taken off, stalling in October at a share of 0.7%. In the mini-car segment, the primacy of diesel is once again confirmed (48.7% share in October, albeit down compared to the 51.8% recorded in the same month of 2022), while the incidence of petrol hybrids rises ‘8.4%, once again exceeding LPG fuelling, which stood at 7.4%. Monthly increase also for transfers of ownership of motorcycles which, again net of mini-transfers, closed the October balance sheet with an increase of 12.1% compared to the same month in 2022 (+7% daily average). In the first ten months of 2023 compared to the same period of 2022, net ownership transfers recorded increases of 7% for cars and 5.2% for all vehicles, compared to a contraction of 0.2% for motorcycles . The data is reported in the latest monthly bulletin “Auto-Trend”, the statistical analysis carried out by the Automobile Club of Italy on PRA data, which can be consulted on the Aci website. The growth of the Italian fleet shows no sign of slowing down and the umpteenth slowdown in radiation recorded in October worsens an already rather worrying picture. Car write-offs recorded a decrease of 1.5% compared to October 2022 (-6% daily average), determined above all by a significant decrease in scrapping (-6.4% on a monthly level). The unit replacement rate was equal to 0.62 (for every 100 new cars, 62 were deregistered) both in October and in the first ten months of the year. Only motorcycle radiation is in positive territory, showing a monthly increase of 8% in October, which however drops to 3.1% in terms of the daily average due to the presence of an extra working day. From January to October 2023, compared to the same period in 2022, radiation decreased by 7.4% for cars and 6.8% for all vehicles, with an increase of 0.7% for motorcycles.
New and used: growing market
More generally, in the first nine months of the year the car market (new and used) smiles, recording positive data. If on the one hand sales of new cars grow by 21% (Unrae data), on the other hand sales of used cars also return with a positive sign, recording a growth of +6.6% compared to the same period last year and 1,986. 550 changes of ownership net of mini-transfers (ACI Source) and the most requested car is the Volkswagen Golf while among the hybrids the Honda C-HR and among the electric ones the Tesla Model 3.
Used cars: the focus on rejuvenating the market
A sector, that of used cars, which confirms itself as crucial for “updating” the current dated car fleet in circulation, which in 2022 saw 20.18 million cars in circulation with a Euro 4 or lower emissions class (over half on total), of which almost 4.41 million even Euro 0-1 (11%). In fact, those looking for a second-hand car would replace the current car they usually drive (on average it is around 12.5 years old), with a younger car. And the digital market can help with this thanks to the vast offer of new generation cars: on AutoScout24, as many as 54% of the cars present are Euro 6, 13% are hybrid and electric and almost six out of ten cars are 5 years old or less.
Petrol: the most requested fuel
Petrol engine cars are the most requested with a percentage of 43% followed by diesel at 38%. Interest in LPG is growing (12% of the sample), while hybrid is chosen by 6%. Electric, on the other hand, is only at 2%: what is holding back its rise even in used cars is that users mainly report the high cost (for 33% of the sample) and the poor autonomy of the batteries (24%). This is the overview that emerges from the AutoScout24 Observatory, the largest European online automotive marketplace, created for Pit Stop – Radio Rai 1 to outline the main trends of the used car market and the forecasts for the coming months.
Budget and bodywork: the choices of Italians
As regards the budget, those who buy a used car in the coming months expect to spend on average 20,600 euros for internal combustion cars and 23,300 euros for hybrid and electric ones.
But how much does it cost to buy a used car?
After a significant increase in prices from January 2019 to December 2022 (+42.7%), from the beginning of the year to today there has been a stabilization in the values of used cars sold on the portal (+2.5% and average price of 22,600 euros ), a sign that the increase in used car prices has stopped. On the mileage front, 61% of the cars to be purchased must have less than 80 thousand km; regarding the bodywork, users are oriented towards SUVs/Crossovers/off-road vehicles (39%) and sedans (32%); the preferred colors are white (30%) or black (26%). Furthermore, there is no doubt about what absolutely cannot be missing from the car you are purchasing: users put active safety devices first among the features or accessories considered fundamental, indicated by as many as 79% of the sample (two years ago it was 70%). This is followed by the infotainment system (navigation, audio system, etc.) reported by 46% of the sample and the automatic gearbox (40%).