Madrid sold more used cars in September than 30 other provinces put together. Sales jumped 34.6 percent, even as most of Spain saw numbers drop. Diesel cars still rule the market.
Madrid’s used car market just rewrote the playbook. In September, the capital moved 32,999 secondhand cars. That’s more than 30 other provinces combined. Madrid grabbed 17.9 percent of all used car sales in Spain. The jump? A sharp 34.6 percent rise from last year’s September numbers. Most of Spain saw sales stall or fall. Madrid broke away from the pack.
Other regions could not keep up. Zaragoza barely stayed positive, and only by a single car. Across Spain, the market shrank by 0.6 percent in September. A total of 184,051 used cars changed hands. Madrid’s surge was so strong it kept the national numbers afloat. Without Madrid, the slowdown would have looked much worse.
According to Ganvam and Faconauto, Spain registered 1,640,051 used car and SUV transactions in the first nine months of the year, marking a 2.6% increase over the previous year.
Toledo made some noise too. Sales there jumped 44.5 percent. But no other region matched Madrid’s scale. From January to September, Madrid sold 252,556 used cars. That’s up 13.5 percent from last year. Madrid is now the clear leader in Spain’s secondhand car market.
Fuel type still shapes the market. Diesel is not dead. It took 48.1 percent of used car sales in September. Gasoline cars held steady. So far this year, 581,955 gasoline vehicles have sold—a tiny drop of 0.2 percent. Electric and plug-in hybrid cars are gaining ground. Since January, buyers picked up 27,920 used electric cars, up 39.8 percent. Plug-in hybrids hit 43,762 units, a 46.9 percent jump.
Age matters too. Sales of cars five years old or less grew by 5.2 percent. These newer cars now make up 26 percent of all used sales. But most deals still involve much older vehicles. Cars over fifteen years old made up 41.6 percent of sales. The average used car sold in Spain is now 11.4 years old. Private sales push that average to 15 years. Old cars are everywhere.
More than six out of ten used car transactions in Spain are conducted between private individuals, and in these deals, the average age of the vehicle exceeds 15 years. This highlights the structural challenge of an aging vehicle fleet, as confirmed by sector data.
For every new car sold, 1.8 used cars find a new owner in Spain. The secondhand market is strong. Economic worries and changing habits keep buyers looking for deals. Madrid’s numbers set a new standard for the rest of the country.
How people buy cars is changing too. As reported earlier, digital tools and artificial intelligence now shape many buying decisions. The market keeps shifting.
Madrid’s lead is not just a fluke. It signals a bigger change in Spain’s car market. Diesel still draws buyers. Electric and hybrid models are rising, but slowly. Madrid is setting the pace. The rest of Spain will have to catch up—or fall further behind.
