Auto Trader : The mighty Micra rockets off UK forecourts in May

June 18, 2018

The mighty Micra rockets off UK forecourts in May

• 2017 Nissan Micra petrol automatic was on average the UK's fastest selling used car in May - taking an average of 17 days to sell
• Petrol dominate the list as the UK's most popular used fuel type, but diesel comes up trumps across the regions
• i-Control users enjoy 55% improvement on stock turn in May 2018

21^st June 2018 - London: Data from Auto Trader, the UK's largest marketplace for used and new cars, revealed that the mighty Nissan Micra (2017 petrol automatic) was the UK's fastest selling used car in May, taking an average of just 17 days to leave forecourts. It marks the first time the iconic Japanese hatchback has taken the top spot on the national top 10 list of fastest selling used cars.

Sitting at the opposite end of the size spectrum, the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLA Class (diesel manual), was May's second fastest selling, also taking an average of 17 days to turn, followed by the 2016 Ford EcoSport (petrol automatic), which took a respectable average of 18 days.

Whilst diesels accounted for just two of the national top 10 list of fastest selling used cars, it was a different story across the regions. Diesels took the top spot in 11 of the 13 regions and countries tracked: East England (2016 Ford Kuga - diesel manual - 24 days); East Midlands (2016 Ford Kuga - diesel manual - 16 days); London (2014 BMW 5 Series - diesel automatic - 12); North East (2015 Nissan Qashqai - diesel manual - 17 days); North West (2015 Jaguar XF - diesel automatic - 18 days); Northern Ireland (2015 Ford Kuga - diesel manual - 29 days); Scotland (2015 Kia Sportage - diesel manual - 16 days); South West (2015 Audi A3 - diesel manual - 25 days); Wales (2015 Nissan Qashqai - diesel manual - 33 days); West Midlands (2015 Hyundai i30 - diesel manual - 15 days); and Yorkshire (2015 Vauxhall Zafira - diesel manual - 22 days).

A similarly positive story could be found in last month's Retail Price Index findings, which found the average price of a used diesel increased 5% year-on-year, averaging £14,448 in May.

Hitting targets will always be determined by how quickly a retailer can turn their stock around and using data is the key to speeding it up. Users of i-Control, Auto Trader's data management solution, took an average of just 28 days to sell a car in April, compared to a market average of 63 - 55% faster than those that don't use the data management tool.

Karolina Edwards-Smajda, Auto TraderRetailer & Consumer Products Director, said: 'Whilst there are undeniable wider market challenges, this is the third consecutive month used diesels have dominated our fastest selling cars tracker, which is testament to its remarkable resilience. Clearly there remains a strong appetite amongst consumers for the greater efficiency diesel offer and contrary to the negative tone surrounding the fuel debate, they offer a great opportunity for retailers.

'Often, the key to success in today's challenging marketplace is knowing which cars are the most desirable in your area, and it's here utilising data to complement your own expertise can make all the difference. Tools like i-Control also enable a dealership to price stock to the market and to reprice it regularly to ensure it remains attractive to buyers to improve speed of sale. It helps deliver an efficient forecourt that cuts costs, boosts turnover and increases profit.'

The UK's Top 10 Fastest Selling Used Cars in May 2018:

About i-Control:

i-Control is Auto Trader's data intelligence solutions, which tracks live market movements, recommends what stock to buy, where to find it, how much to pay for it, and how much to sell it for taking into account regional differences in desirability - and is proven to improve stock turn, as we've seen, by 55%.

Using a combination of daily guide prices from over 4,500 dealer websites, the 500,000+ ads on Auto Trader and price data from all major auctions, fleet & lease companies and manufacturers, i-Control provides accurate valuations ensuring retailers' stock is competitively priced from day one.

About Auto Trader

Auto Trader Group plc is the UK and Ireland's largest digital automotive marketplace. Auto Trader sits at the heart of the UK's vehicle buying process and its primary activity is to help vehicle retailers compete effectively on the marketplace in order to sell more vehicles, faster. Auto Trader listed on the London Stock Exchange in March 2015 and is now a member of the FTSE 250 Index.

The marketplace brings together the largest and most engaged consumer audience. Auto Trader has over 88% prompted brand awareness and attracts an average of 55 million monthly cross platform visits a month, with circa 70% of visits coming through mobile devices.

The marketplace also has the largest pool of vehicle sellers (listing more than 470,000 cars each day). Over 80% of UK automotive retailers advertise on autotrader.co.uk.

For more information, please visit http://about-us.autotrader.co.uk

For all trade media enquiries, please contact:

Andrew Nankervis - Senior PR Manager, Auto Trader

Email: andrew.nankervis@autotrader.co.uk

Tel: +44 203 747 7234