Used car sales fell another month in December, as trade-in values and the supply of used cars also fell.
Data collected by AutoGrab and published by the Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA) shows that 181,724 used vehicles were sold in December compared to the previous month, marking a decline of 8.1 per cent and the fourth month of decline since July.
There were 322,532 active listings, a decrease of 3.8 per cent from November 2024. Figures for every state and territory except the Northern Territory and Western Australia were down.
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However, compared to December 2023, used car sales increased by 7.3 percent, while the number of active listings increased by 16.7 percent.
“The average number of days to sell rose to 48.7, the highest since October, suggesting sellers are dealing with slower-moving stocks. This trend is expected to continue into 2025 as the growing oversupply of new vehicles creates a spillover effect into the used car market,” said James Voortman, CEO of AADA.
Naturally, the supply situation for new vehicles could change drastically, as industrial action in our country’s ports affects availability.
The AADA noted that the oversupply of new vehicles pushed down retained values, with every vehicle segment in every age category – with the exception of light commercial vehicles 2 to 5 years old – experiencing declines.
The average time to sell a used car has increased to 48.7 days, up from 47 days in November, but down from the figure of 50.9 days in December 2023.
The AADA and AutoGrab provide the following definitions for the monthly Automotive Insights Report:
- For Sale: Level of available used and demo cars listed online nationwide by dealers and private sellers at the time of reporting. AutoGrab processes and deduplicates entries to identify and eliminate repeats so vehicles across multiple platforms are counted only once.
- Sales: The total number of vehicles removed from online marketplaces serves as a good indication of actual sales and is recorded monthly. The number of vehicles removed also reflects unique vehicles, because AutoGrab processes and deduplicates lists to identify and eliminate repeats, so vehicles listed on multiple platforms are counted only once.
Best-selling used cars (up to 10 years old)
The list of the top 10 best-selling used cars in December 2024 was in the same order as the previous month, with the Ford Ranger once again topping the charts.
Best-selling used electric vehicles (up to 10 years old)
Used car sales by state and territory
| State/Territory | Vehicles listed | Vehicles sold |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 92,588 | 52,119 |
| Victoria | 87,348 | 45,201 |
| Queensland | 70,636 | 41,321 |
| Western Australia | 38,628 | 23,487 |
| South Australia | 21,846 | 13,017 |
| Tasmania | 6221 | 4027 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 3912 | 1967 |
| Northern Territory | 1353 | 585 |
| Total | 322,532 | 181,724 |
Sales by vehicle type
| Vehicle type | Offered for sale | Total turnover |
|---|---|---|
| SUVs | 135,489 | 74,092 |
| Passenger cars | 114,388 | 70,706 |
| Uten | 59,737 | 31,419 |
| Vans and buses | 12,918 | 5507 |
Sales by fuel type
| Vehicle type | Sales (December 2024) | Change from November |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 114,664 | -8.0% |
| Diesel | 56,153 | -8.8% |
| Hybrid | 8294 | -5.4% |
| Electric vehicles (EV) | 2083 | -3.3% |
| Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) | 276 | -8.0% |
| LPG | 254 | -5.6% |
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