Madrid sold 32,999 used cars in September, more than 30 other provinces combined. The capital accounted for 17.9 percent of Spain’s used-car sales, up 34.6 percent from September last year. Sales stalled or fell across most of Spain, while Madrid pulled ahead.
Other regions could not keep pace. Zaragoza barely finished in positive territory, by a single car. Across Spain, the market shrank by 0.6 percent in September, with 184,051 used cars changing hands. Madrid’s surge propped up the national figures; without it, the slowdown would have looked much worse.
Ganvam and Faconauto reported 1,640,051 used-car and SUV transactions in Spain during the first nine months of the year, up 2.6 percent from the same period last year.
Toledo also stood out, with sales up 44.5 percent. But no other region came close to Madrid’s scale. From January to September, Madrid sold 252,556 used cars, up 13.5 percent from last year, making it Spain’s clear leader in the secondhand car market.
Fuel type still shapes the market. Diesel accounted for 48.1 percent of used-car sales in September. Gasoline cars held steady, with 581,955 sold so far this year, a drop of just 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, while plug-in hybrids reached 43,762 units, a 46.9 percent increase.
Age matters too. Sales of cars five years old or less grew by 5.2 percent, and these newer cars now make up 26 percent of all used sales. Most deals, but, still involve much older vehicles: cars over fifteen years old accounted for 41.6 percent of sales. The average used car sold in Spain is now 11.4 years old; in private sales, the average rises to 15 years. More than six out of ten used-car transactions take place between private individuals, europapress.es reported. That points to the challenge of an aging vehicle fleet.
For every new car sold in Spain, 1.8 used cars find a new owner. Economic worries and changing habits keep buyers looking for deals, while Madrid’s figures set a new benchmark 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. Buying habits continue to shift.
