The used car market - Italy

1.1 Definition and scope of the study

A vehicle is said to be second-hand if it has been used for more than 6 months (from the date of first registration) and has driven more than 6,000 km.

The size of the global used car market was estimated at $1,332.2 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 5.5 percent between 2020 and 2027. Driven by emerging countries, the strong growth of the global used car market in recent years is partly due to the inability of more and more people to buy new cars.

If the market for second-hand vehicles has so much wind in its sails, it is because, symmetrically, the market for new vehicles is going through a complicated phase. The latter is experiencing difficulties, such as the production shutdown experienced during the 2020 restraint or the semiconductor shortage, which is greatly increasing delivery times.

In Italy, the very dynamic and fragmented used car market is dominated by automobiles. As one of the European countries with the largest number of second-hand cars, second-hand car purchases are double that of new cars. The democratization of e-commerce and the emergence of new digital platforms such as Subito. co .uk or AutoScoot24 will continue to fuel this market, which has segments that are still considered niche, such as the used car market for electric vehicles. In addition, professional supply-side players such as dealers are enjoying significant popularity fueled by the lack of confidence in the demand for vehicles sold by individuals.

However, the market has been affected by the Coronavirus health crisis. Various confinements and government measures have reduced the number of ownership changes for much of the year. Between January and September 2020, the used car market contracted by 17.7 percent. By September, the market had already grown by 18.3 percent. Green alternatives to fuel are becoming increasingly important and will replace the most polluting cars, especially diesel cars. Electric cars accounted for 2.4 percent of total sales in 2020, while hybrid cars accounted for 17.9 percent.