Diesel and over ten years old: the used car market continues to grow in Catalonia

A total of 149,099 conventional used passenger cars have been sold in Catalonia during the first six months of the year, according to data from Ganvam and Faconauto. The province of Lleida leads the growth in used vehicle sales this 2026, with an 8.1% increase compared to the same period in 2025, followed by the province of Barcelona, with 6.4%, Girona with a 3.6% growth, and Tarragona, with a small 0.1% growth compared to used vehicle sales in 2025.Historically, the month of June concentrates a good part of the growth of the second-hand vehicle market, as the arrival of good weather, the prospect of new trips during the holiday period, and the summer bonus coincide, factors that facilitate the decision to buy a second-hand vehicle. Used car sales figures far exceed new vehicle sales. According to Ganvam data, in 2025 in Spain, more than 2.2 million used cars were sold, representing a ratio of between 1.9 and 2.2 used vehicles sold for each new vehicle registered in Spain. Diesel and over ten years old

Practically half of the second-hand vehicles sold during the year 2025 were diesel, with 48.3% of the total, according to data from Faconauto, while the average age of the Spanish car fleet rose to 14.5 years, a figure that seems to continue growing without stopping. In fact, more than half of the second-hand cars sold during the year 2025 were more than ten years old, a reality that is consolidating during the first six months of 2026.The growth of the second-hand market and the aging of the automotive fleet is explained by the high price of new cars (which are on average around 30,000 euros) and the low purchasing power of workers. In fact, the demand for second-hand vehicles is so great that several companies have had to import second-hand vehicles from markets such as Germany, the Netherlands, or Switzerland, where there is a surplus of second-hand vehicles and a demand for these vehicles much lower than in Spain, to satisfy the needs of the second-hand market in Catalonia and the rest of the State.Within the second-hand market, a significant increase in interest has been detected in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles aged between 3 and 5 years, many of them coming from rental and leasing company fleets, with a sale price, however, above the average for this type of transaction, which stands at around 18,500 euros in Catalonia and 17,500 euros in the rest of Spain. Nevertheless, the supply of second-hand electrified vehicles is still insufficient, and the scarce available supply drives up the final price of these zero-emission or eco-labeled vehicles.