In 2025, a record number of second-hand cars were sold in the Netherlands. These are the most popular used cars.
Figures from Bovag and RDC show that 2,124,429 second-hand cars were sold in the Netherlands last year. That was more than ever, and Bovag speaks of a record year. In total, 75,256 more used cars were sold than a year earlier, meaning we are dealing with a percentage increase of 3.7 percent.
Not all second-hand cars that changed owners last year were sold by private individuals. In fact, almost two-thirds of all used cars traded last year were sold by car dealerships. This concerns 1,384,996 units, 65.2 percent of the total. Private individuals sold 739,433 second-hand cars among themselves.
The increase in used car sales is related to the high prices of new cars. Gerard ten Buuren, chairman of BOVAG Independent Car Companies, also notes this. “The price of new cars has risen sharply in recent years. For more and more private individuals, a new car is no longer affordable, which shifts demand towards young used cars, imported or purchased from a car dealership.”
Notably: in sales between private individuals, almost 40 percent of purchases were made by 18- to 35-year-olds. In the sale of used cars by car dealerships, the share of buyers in that age category was significantly smaller at 27.8 percent. People aged 56 and over tend to buy more often from a car dealership. For example, 30.9 percent of used car purchases at dealerships were made by those aged 56 and over, while they accounted for 13.9 percent of purchases in sales between private individuals. At least as interesting: among used cars sold by dealerships, 26 percent were hybrids or EVs. Among second-hand cars sold between private individuals, petrol cars were relatively more dominant (with a share of 78.9 percent). Regardless of the sales channel, petrol cars were the most sold used cars with a share of 72.7 percent, followed by hybrids (16 percent), diesel (5.5 percent), and electric (4.8 percent). The market share of full EVs thus rose from 4.2 percent in 2024 to 4.8 percent in 2025.
Most Popular Used Cars
The Volkswagen Polo was the most traded used car in 2025. For every thirty used cars sold in 2025, one was a Polo. Its big brother Golf is in second place, followed by the Opel Corsa in third place.