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Bestselling used cars this year are petrol estates of up to 100 kW engine output. Demand grows for nearly-new cars

Demand for automatic and four-wheel drive vehicles is growing steadily.

Czech used car dealers report that the bestselling used cars this year are 6-10 year old petrol estates with an engine output of up to 100kW. There has also been a sharp increase in sales of cars up to two years old. Automatic drive and four-wheel drive is becoming more common too, as can be seen from the AAA Auto Index annual analysis of bestselling used cars.

This year’s AAA Auto Index statistics on bestselling types of used cars confirmed some of the trends seen last year – especially the popularity of petrol engines and the dynamic growth in the segment of cars up to two years old. The analysis is based on almost a million cars sold between 2008 and 2014, and it focuses on technical parameters, safety fittings and required levels of comfort and appearance.
“Customers need to be aware of market trends when buying used cars, because they will then know what to expect. For instance, it’s quite rare nowadays to find cars without air-conditioning, and the same goes for cars without an ABS system,” says AAA AUTO’s CEO Karolína Topolová.

This year’s data confirms the growing demand from Czech drivers for nearly-new cars. “The trend is also confirmed by the growing demand for cars with mileage of less than 30 thousand kilometres. It’s also popular to buy cars that are less than two years old and with a low mileage,” commented Karolína Topolová.

If we compare cars sold according to fuel type, petrol remained dominant and even increased its lead over diesel. According to AAA AUTO, the decisive factor has been the price of petrol and diesel fuel, which have remained the same, as in recent years.

As far as body type is concerned, customers prefer the more practical estate cars, while saloon cars are still more or less stagnating.

Four-wheel drive vehicles are becoming more popular, as are automatics, which remain relatively unusual in the Czech Republic. This year they accounted for more than ten percent of used cars sold.