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Used car sales increased 5.1% year over year in the first quarter of 2022, with 14,586 used electric vehicles changing hands.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has announced that the UK used car market will continue to grow in 2022, with more electric vehicle sales than ever before. Compared with the same period in 2021, total used car sales increased by 86,596 units, or 5.1%, in the first quarter of this year.
Of the 1,774,351 used cars sold in the first quarter of 2022, 14,586 were Electric Vehicles — up from 7,961 in the same period a year earlier — for a 3.6 percent share of the overall market. Electric models are increasingly popular in used car purchases, with sales of plug-in hybrids and conventional hybrids up 35.3 percent and 28.8 percent, respectively.
Still, pure combustion engine vehicles retain their market stronghold, with 96.2% of used car sales being petrol or diesel models – the popularity of new electric vehicles has yet to penetrate used car showrooms.
Earlier this year, Superminis remained the most popular second-hand item with a 32.6 percent market share. Sales of luxury sedans and MPVs fell 3.4 percent and 7.5 percent, respectively, with black the most popular paint colour, adorning the body of one in five used cars sold.
Despite slipping down the new car sales charts, the Ford Fiesta was by far the most popular used car in 2022, with 73,851 units sold. The Vauxhall Corsa came in second, followed by the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus.
New vehicle supply continues to be curbed by a global semiconductor shortage. This has slowed production of the latest models and lengthened delivery times. This is the main reason for the boom in the used car market. Buyers turn to cheaper and more accessible used cars. However, the result of this strong demand has been high used car prices across the market.
A new car prototype has been unveiled, hinting at future vehicles without traditional brakes.
DS Automotive takes future car technology to the next level by developing cars without traditional brakes. The Paris-based luxury automaker has developed a prototype electric vehicle that uses only electric motor regeneration.
This will be used to replace conventional brakes, which the company believes represent “the potential future of electric vehicles”.
The DS uses technology from the brand’s Formula E race car, DS E Tense Performance.
It uses two integrated electric motors to fully decelerate the vehicle with up to 600 kW of regenerative braking.
The brand is now investigating whether regenerative braking alone could be used as the only means of slowing down the car.
While regenerative braking is already available in most electric vehicles, the technology is currently being used to complement traditional friction braking.
Regenerative braking slows a moving vehicle by converting its wasted energy and using it immediately or storing it when needed.
This helps charge the battery better and eliminates the need for traditional brake rotors and pads.
Smart technology makes DS E Tense Performance’s conventional Formula E braking system completely redundant.
Beatrice Foucher, CEO of DS Motors, praised the technology and said it could bring huge benefits in the future.
She added: “Formula E is about maximising performance and efficiency, and the DS E Tense Performance is our vision of a road car utilising our race-winning technology.
“The DS E Tense Performance takes the technology to a new level, with regenerative braking used solely to slow the vehicle down.”
The DS E Tense Performance was developed in collaboration with the brand’s skilled Formula E team.
It also uses the same electric motor as the electric race car.
With a charging capacity of 350kW, it can be fully charged in just 5 minutes.
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