News ·
The Used Car Market Has Quietly Split in Two
For a long time, the used car market in Australia behaved predictably. If a car didn't sell, the price came down. Simple. That's no longer the case.
Over the past 30 days, the data is showing something different: not a market that's rising or falling, but one that's splitting.
One market, two directions
The market isn't moving together anymore. It's dividing.
On one side, certain vehicles are tightening:
- Prices are holding firm or even increasing
- Stock levels are shrinking
- Dealers are showing confidence
On the other:
- Prices are being reduced
- Vehicles are sitting longer
- Supply is building
This isn't noise. It's demand repositioning in real time.
Buyers are changing how they decide
The biggest driver right now isn't brand or badge. It's running cost.
Fuel prices and broader cost-of-living pressure are influencing decisions more heavily than before. Buyers are becoming more selective, and that selectiveness is showing up immediately in the data.
Vehicles that are cheaper to run are attracting stronger demand. Vehicles that aren't are being left behind.
And unlike previous cycles, this shift isn't gradual. It's happening quickly.
The signal in the data
EVs aren't outselling petrol, but they're moving nearly 3x faster than their share of supply would suggest.
That's the clearest signal in the market right now.
Demand is concentrating, and supply hasn't caught up.
The takeaway
This isn't just a pricing trend.
It's a shift in how the market behaves, and it's happening in real time.
