6 jan 16
Fil d'Actus

France’s used-car sales jump 2.1% to 5.6 million

France’s second-hand car market had a great year. In 2015, sales of used vehicles jumped up 2.1% to 5.652 million, only a few thousand less than in 2007, the sector’s best year ever. To put that figure in perspective: for every new car, three used cars are sold in France today.

Unsurprisingly, the French manufacturers dominate the used-car market, jointly representing 55%. Renault (1.3 million units, 23.6%) and Peugeot (1 million units, 18.8%) are the biggest ones, with near-stationary figures, while Citroën (and DS) gain 2.54% to reach 13.1% (728,500 units). 

The best-performing non-French brands are VW (399,000 units, +4.2% to 7.2%), Ford (220,000 units, +1.5% to 4%) and Opel (220,000 units, +1% to 3.8%). 

Other notable results include the remarkable rise of Kia (+15.9% to 34,230 units, or 0.62% of the total), Nissan (+13.6% to 135,009 units, or 2.4% of the total) and Dacia (+11.4% to 65,100 units, or 1.2% of the total). Alfa Romeo (-2.2%) and Fiat (-1.2%) were the only two losers in an otherwise buoyant industry.

As for the best-selling used-car models on the French market in 2015, the top five remains unchanged from the previous year, and totally French. The Renault Clio (415,711 units) came out on top, followed by the Renault Mégane/Scenic (411,015) and the Peugeot 206 (192,866). The first two traded slightly less, the third slightly more. The fourth, the Renault Twingo (167,924), gained 5.3%, the fifth, the Citroën C4 (162,823) increased by 8.8%. 

One remarkable evolution is the increasing age of the second-hand cars sold. In 2014, 36.2% was at least 11 years old. Last year, that figure had crept up to 37.6%. Even cars over 18 years still represented over 10% of all sales. Over the past decade, the average age of a used car sold in France increased by one year, to 8.9 years.  

 

Authored by: Frank Jacobs