Europe’s pre-owned car market shifts up a gear

By Dr. Tim Sandle

SCIENCE EDITOR

DIGITAL JOURNAL

December 18, 2025


US consumers will be hard in the wallet with importers having to pay a 25 percent tariff for cars produced outside the US - Copyright AFP LUIS ROBAYO

According to a December 2025 report on pre-owned car markets, Germany is the best country in Europe to buy a used vehicle. The study by the B2B car company eCarsTrade examined European countries based on resale pricing and vehicle selection.

The report reveals that Germany has the best market for buying a used car, with reasonable prices around €20K and the largest selection of nearly 1.7M vehicles.

The research analysed three factors across 20 European markets: average used car prices, the number of vehicles available on major platforms, and lookups from potential buyers. Each country received a score from 0 to 100, where higher numbers indicate favorable conditions for purchasing a used vehicle.

The top 10 countries for buying a used car

Country	Car Price Average in €	Number of Used Cars Available  (one platform)	Google Search Volume	Best Market for Buyers(Score)
Germany	€19.95K	1.69M	41.23K	88
Italy	€17.60K	981.41K	25.50K	81
France	€19.09K	1.15M	28.65K	77
Spain	€18.00K	617.34K	30.62K	68
Poland	€18.50K	505.26K	19.47K	62
Czech Republic	€17.43K	151.69K	13.23K	58
Belgium	€17.65K	187.38K	17.36K	58
Slovakia	€21.86K	58.35K	10.29K	52
Netherlands	€20.51K	533.39K	44.11K	51
Portugal	€18.81K	132.81K	18.90K	49

From the table it is apparent that Germany is Europe’s best market for buying a used car. The country has the largest selection on the continent, with close to 1.7M vehicles available, giving customers far more options than anywhere else. Prices here are also affordable, with typical cars selling for under €20K. This is €5K cheaper than what buyers would have to pay in other European countries.

Italy comes second, offering the cheapest used cars in Europe. The average vehicle costs just €17.6K here, around €2K less than in Germany. Italy is also one of the biggest pre-owned car markets, with nearly 1 million vehicles currently listed for sale. And demand for them is strong too, with about 25,000 buyers checking local auto platforms each month.

Next on the list is France, where used cars sell for €19K, right between German and Italian price levels. With 1 million+ vehicles up for sale, France is the second-largest automotive resale market in Europe. It’s also among the most popular choices for purchasing a pre-owned car, attracting around 30,000 potential buyers every month.

Spain takes fourth place as one of Europe’s most active used car markets, with 30K monthly lookups from customers. With an average price of €18K, cars here cost less than in France or Germany. The country also has over 617K pre-owned vehicles on offer, which is about half of Germany’s inventory, but still a good selection.

Poland rounds out the top five with a smaller but growing used car market. Pre-owned automobiles in Poland sell for around €18.50K on average, making it a more interesting choice for customers with lower budgets. The local inventory isn’t small either, with sellers currently offering more than half a million used models.