The average value of used cars sold at auction fell slightly by £80 in December, to £8046, BCA’s latest Pulse report has revealed.
According to BCA, a change in the market sector mix contributed to the fall in the headline value, as a larger percentage of dealer part-exchange cars were sold in December compared to the previous month.
Despite this, December’s average value was the third highest on record, and year-on-year values were ahead by £39 (0.5%), while the average mileage was down by 2000 miles compared with December 2014.
Ex-fleet and lease values averaged £9588 in December, a fall of £190 (1.9%) compared with November 2015’s figure, while year-on-year the figures were up by £462 (5.0%).
Meanwhile, nearly-new values increased by £671 (3.1%) over the course of the month to £22,074, which is the highest value recorded in 2015.
“December is a short month for trading and both the market sector mix and model mix tend to change quite significantly,” Simon Henstock, BCA UK chief operating officer for remarketing said. “Fleet and lease stock is typically in more limited supply in December, whilst dealers continue to sell part-exchange vehicles as a result of their ongoing retail activity. “
“The early days of trading in 2016 have been exceptionally busy and with the new plate on 1 March only weeks away, we are entering one of the busiest periods for the motor trade,” he added.