Used car sales at record high

Written by Christina Vontin

The used car market continued to show strong momentum in September, with an 11.5% increase in sales.

The domestic used car market will surpass the record figure of 825,000 transactions set in 2022 this year. In September alone, 79,500 used cars changed hands, an increase of 11.5% compared to the previous year. In the first three quarters of 2024, 686,600 vehicles were already sold, wrote the specialist portal joautok.hu based on preliminary data from DataHouse.

Slower growth in imports

The number of imported used cars reached 82,100 units in the first nine months, only 2.5% more than in the same period last year. Due to the development of the euro exchange rate, potential import buyers may be increasingly focussing on the domestic market. The stabilisation of the income situation is enabling a growing proportion of the population to catch up on postponed car purchases. In addition, interest rate cuts have revitalised credit sales.

Popular models

The used car market is dominated by lower mid-range vehicles and small cars, accounting for 29% and 21% of all sales respectively. In the lower mid-range, the Opel Astra, Ford Focus, VW Golf and Skoda Octavia are the most popular models. In the small car segment, the Suzuki Swift leads ahead of the Opel Corsa, VW Polo and Skoda Fabia. The VW Passat and the BMW 3 Series are among the ten best-selling models in the upper mid-range segment.