Drivers favour petrol and diesel cars over EVs as millions opt for traditional vehicles

1 sources1 storiesFirst seen 5/12/2026Score25Mixed Progress

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Petrol and diesel vehicle sales have remained dominant across the UK used car market, despite rising sales of electric cars.New figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed conventionally fuelled cars accounted for 88.2 per cent of all second-hand sales during the first three months of the year.More than two million used cars changed hands between January and March, although the market dipped slightly by 0.2 per cent compared with the same period in 2025.

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The decline ended 12 straight quarters of growth.

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March was particularly weak after a strong performance last year, when more than 700,000 used vehicles were sold, the best March figure since 2017.

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TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Petrol cars remained the most popular choice among UK drivers, with nearly 1.15 million sales recorded during the quarter, although they were down slightly by 0.6 per cent year-on-year.

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Meanwhile, diesel vehicles also continued to attract strong demand, although sales fell by 6.7 per...

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