Do Used Electric Cars Leave London Dealer Forecourts Faster Than Petrol Cars?
National data increasingly points to quicker used-EV sales. LAI examines what that evidence can—and cannot—tell us about London, and sets out how local dealer listings should be tracked to find the answer.
Quick answer
London still requires a matched cohort of dealer adverts checked at repeat intervals, with confirmed sales recorded separately.
The distinction matters. “Days to sell” is a completed-sales measure available to a marketplace with transaction or retailer data. LAI’s public-listing observations can establish how long an advert remains visible. Unless a dealer confirms a sale, an advert disappearing must not be reported as a confirmed sale.
What the latest UK evidence shows
Four observations help explain why this question is worth investigating. They measure different things, so the figures should not be combined as if they were one London dataset.
| Evidence | Latest relevant figure | What it measures | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cazoo, October 2026 | EVs: 32.3 days; petrol: 39.2; diesel: 49.6 | UK marketplace-reported selling time | London dealer selling speed or sale confirmation for a particular advert |
| Auto Trader, July 2026 | Used EVs: 25 days to sell; five days quicker than petrol | UK platform-reported used-car selling speed | London-only stock turnover or the outcome for any one model/dealer |
| Auto Trader, September 2026 | Used EVs: 28 days; diesels: 34 days. Three-to-five-year-old EVs: 25 days | More recent UK selling-speed comparison against diesel | A September EV-versus-petrol difference; that comparison was not stated in the cited update |
| SMMT, Q2 2026 | 110,761 used BEV transactions, up 67% year on year; 5.5% share | DVLA-derived UK used-car transactions | Retail advert age or London-specific BEV speed |
Auto Trader’s July figures suggest EVs were moving faster than petrol cars at the national level. Its September update gives a newer EV-versus-diesel comparison, not a newer petrol comparison. SMMT’s Q2 transaction data confirms strong growth in used battery-electric sales, while petrol and diesel still made up 86.7% of all used-car transactions in that quarter.
Read the measures separately A rise in transactions is not the same as faster stock turnover. Advert views and enquiries show shopper attention, not completed purchases. Days to sell is a different measure again.
| Measure | UK result · July 2026 | London LAI result |
|---|---|---|
| Used EV average time to sell | 25 days | Not yet measured |
| Petrol average time to sell | 30 days | Not yet measured |
| What LAI can observe directly | National platform metric | Advert duration and price changes in its sampled listings |
Source: Auto Trader, July 2026. A local advert disappearing is not automatically a confirmed sale.
Why the London answer needs local evidence
London has a growing electric-car base. TfL reported 149,457 battery-electric cars registered in London by the end of Q2 2025, up from 116,560 a year earlier. That is useful market context, but registrations do not show how many used EVs dealers advertise or how long those adverts remain live.
The Greater London Authority’s Licensed Vehicles – Type, Borough dataset is derived from Department for Transport and DVLA data. It allocates vehicles by the registered keeper’s postcode. It is not a dealer-listing history, sales register or asking-price monitor.
How the LAI Used EV Stock Monitor will measure it
LAI’s proposed monitor follows a consistent sample of dealer adverts through time. It is designed to answer a narrower, verifiable question: Do comparable used battery-electric listings remain visible for fewer days than petrol listings at London dealers in the observed sample?
- Set the boundary. Include dealers with a physical site in Greater London; record the dealer location and sampling rule.
- Capture listings on a fixed schedule. Record the advert URL or listing ID, first-seen date, fuel, make/model, age, mileage, advertised price and dealer.
- Track changes. Recheck adverts consistently and record price changes, continued availability, disappearance and any relisting or duplicate.
- Compare like with like. Match EVs and petrol cars by age, price band, mileage band and body style; show sample sizes for every comparison.
- Report incomplete observations honestly. Listings still live when the study closes are right-censored: LAI knows they have lasted at least that long, but not their eventual endpoint.
Measures to publish
| Measure | Definition | Reader interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Active stock | Number of unique in-scope adverts visible on each capture date | Snapshot of observed advertised choice, not total London supply |
| Days advertised | Days between first observation and last observation while advert is visible | Observed advert duration, not confirmed sale time |
| Removal from sample | Advert is no longer visible at the source on a later check | Could be sale, withdrawal, expiry, platform change or relisting |
| Price reduction | Difference between first and later observed asking price | Change in advertised price, not final transaction price |
| Matched comparison | EV and petrol groups aligned by age, price, mileage and body style | Reduces the risk that different stock profiles explain the result |
Why adverts disappear—and why LAI will not call every removal a sale
A listing can disappear because the car sold, but also because a dealer withdrew it, the advert expired, the vehicle moved to a different platform, or a revised listing replaced it. A one-day snapshot cannot distinguish these outcomes and cannot establish days advertised.
LAI will therefore use terms such as “advert removed from the observed sample” and “observed days advertised”. Where a dealer confirms a sale, that confirmation can be reported separately, with the number of confirmed cases stated. The main result should never convert an unverified disappearance into a sale.
What this could mean for London buyers and dealers
For buyers
The monitor can show how local advertised choice changes, whether asking prices move during the observation period and which vehicle groups appear to leave the sample sooner. It cannot predict whether a particular car is right for a buyer or guarantee how long it will remain available.
For dealers
A consistent local benchmark could help compare observed stock age and pricing patterns across fuel types. It is a market signal for the sampled listings—not a dealer performance ranking or a substitute for a retailer’s own sales records.
Are you a Greater London motor dealer?
LAI is developing a transparent local stock monitor. Dealers interested in contributing listings or discussing the research can contact London Auto Index through the website.
What would count as a clear result?
A credible result needs repeated observations, adequate numbers in both fuel groups and comparable vehicle profiles. LAI should publish the study period, sample size, dealer coverage, matching rules and limitations alongside every chart.
| If the data shows… | LAI can conclude… |
|---|---|
| Matched EV adverts have shorter observed durations across the sample | EV listings left the observed sample sooner in this study period; this is not proof every removal was a sale. |
| Results differ by age, price or model | There is no single London-wide pattern; turnover appears segmented by vehicle profile. |
| Groups are small, unbalanced or poorly matched | The available sample is not sufficient to establish a reliable EV-versus-petrol difference. |
Frequently asked questions
Are used EVs selling faster than petrol cars in the UK?
Auto Trader reported that used EVs averaged 25 days to sell in July 2026, five days faster than petrol cars. That is a UK-wide platform figure for that month, not a London-only result.
Does a removed advert mean the car sold?
No. It may have sold, but it may also have been withdrawn, expired, moved or relisted. LAI treats removal as an observed listing event unless a sale is confirmed.
Can London vehicle-registration data answer this question?
Not by itself. Registration datasets count vehicles by keeper location and fuel type. They do not record dealer advert age, asking-price changes or listing removal dates.
How long should LAI track listings?
LAI should collect repeated observations for at least 8–12 weeks for an initial monitor, then assess whether the sample is large and balanced enough for comparison. This is a proposed study design, not a result from completed tracking.
Sources and image credits
- Auto Trader: Commentary | Q2 Used Car Transactions 2026 — July demand, supply, prices and days-to-sell context.
- Auto Trader: Commentary | Record diesel prices — September used-EV and diesel selling-speed context.
- SMMT: Used car market returns to growth as EV sales accelerate — Q2 2026 used-car transactions and fuel shares.
- Transport for London: Travel in London 2025, annual overview — London vehicle-registration and EV context.
- London Datastore: Licensed Vehicles – Type, Borough — borough-level licensed-vehicle dataset and geographic definition.
Figures are attributed to their original publishers. “Days to sell” and “days advertised” are different measures. LAI has not yet published a completed London dealer-listing comparison in this article.
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