Used cars, the second-hand market continues to grow in Italy

The growth of the used car market in Italy continues. Also due to a constant increase in the prices of new cars, in fact, many motorists are increasingly turning to the second-hand market with the aim of finding a good quality car with a better quality/price ratio.

Confirmation comes from the data (still awaiting consolidation but still very indicative) released by Unrae . The numbers speak for themselves: the used market in Italy has recorded its eighth consecutive monthly growth, continuing a trend that has been going on for some time. The increase in ownership transfers compared to last year is significant. Here are all the details on the matter.

Transfers of ownership increase

According to data provided by Unrae, during the month of April 2025, 443,893 ownership transfers were recorded. This data represents a growth of 3.9% compared to the data of April 2024. Net transfers grew by 1.7%, while mini-transfers (intermediate ownership transfers between a private individual and a dealer who will then resell the car) recorded an increase of 6.9%. Also noteworthy is an interesting comparison with April 2019. In this case, there is a slight decrease (-1.2%) for ownership transfers. As regards the partial annual figure , however, a total of 1,920,117 transfers was recorded with an increase, compared to the same period last year, of +3.9% (the comparison with 2019, however, sees a decrease of 0.4%). Considering the data of the first four months, it is possible to assume that 2025 will close with a substantial growth for the used car market in Italy. For further details, however, we will have to wait for the next surveys.

The numbers of used cars in Italy

Analyzing the numbers for the month of April, we note a reduction in net transfers involving diesel cars , which recorded a market share of 42.7%, with a decrease of 2.9 points compared to last year, confirming themselves as the best-selling used cars . Hybrids, on the other hand, are growing, reaching 9.8% of the total net transfers, confirming a fleet of vehicles that is becoming increasingly electrified, acquiring a certain interest also on the used market.

Transfers involving electric cars and plug-in hybrids are also growing. In fact, as far as electric cars are concerned, in April a share of 1% was reached, while for plug-in hybrids it reached up to 1.3%. Even among mini-transfers, diesel cars dominate, with a market share of 43.6%, while both plug-in hybrids and electric cars are growing, with a share of 1.8% and 1.4% respectively.

Another very interesting fact to highlight is the age of the cars . In fact, 47.7% of net transfers of ownership concern cars that are over 10 years old. However, this share is down 1.2 points compared to last year. Transfers of cars up to 4 years old, on the other hand, cover 23.5%, with an increase of 1.6 points compared to last year. Among mini-transfers, the main share is for cars over 10 years old, which represent 35.5% of the total, while cars up to 4 years old cover 32.7% of the total, with an increase of 5.3 points.