Used market back on track – electric cars drive growth

After a historically weak second quarter, the used car market turned upward again in the third quarter of this year. A total of 335,190 cars changed hands – an increase of 0.8 percent compared to the same period last year. The growth is driven primarily by electric cars, our analysis shows.

– We are seeing a stabilization in the market after the spring slowdown. The fact that sales are now increasing again is a sign that households' need for cars remains strong – and it is clear that interest is greatest for electric cars and plug-in hybrids, says Daniel Odsberg, sales manager at Kvdbil .

Electric cars are increasing the most

Electric cars accounted for the largest increase in the third quarter, with 23,819 vehicles sold – an increase of 33.9 percent compared to Q3 2024. Plug -in hybrids (+20.4%) and electric hybrids (+12.4%) also continued to grow strongly. At the same time, both gasoline cars (–5.6%) and diesel cars (–0.6%) declined.

“More and more households are daring to take the step towards electrified alternatives. Here, the secondary market plays a crucial role by making the technology available to more people,” says Odsberg.

Kronoberg at the top

The strongest increase was in Kronoberg, where sales rose by 5.4 percent compared to the same period last year. Blekinge, Gotland and Jönköping also made strong progress. The largest decline was noted in Västerbotten and Norrbotten.

Prices are dropping slightly

According to figures from Bilpriser , a price decline of 2 percent was noted between July and September compared to the previous quarter.

– Price levels are expected to remain stable during the autumn and winter. A price decline will be seen primarily among older fossil-fuel cars, while electric cars, plug-in hybrids and electric hybrids will continue to maintain their value thanks to a wide range and strengthened purchasing power among households, says Daniel Odsberg.

The Volvo V70 retains first place as Sweden's best-selling used car during the third quarter with 14,461 units sold, followed by the Volkswagen Golf and Volkswagen Passat.

Sales statistics for the passenger car market Q3 2025:

About the compilation: Kvdbil 's statistics on used car purchases in Sweden are obtained from the Swedish Car Register via the statistics company Vroom. The price trend is based on sales at kvd.se (approximately 20,000 per year) and is measured through the BPI (Car Price Index) by the sister company bilpriser.se .