The fastest and slowest cars to sell revealed – from 14 days to two-and-a-half months

If you own one of these 10 cars then don’t expect to make a quick sale when it’s time to replace it.

That’s because they all take between two and two-and-a-half months to shift on average, according to data from the nation’s largest car sales platform.  In contrast, the most in-demand motor takes an average of just two weeks to find a buyer.

Topping the list of difficult-to-sell cars is a small Vauxhall SUV. 

However, four of the top 10 listed for the longest periods are Land Rovers – including three Range Rover models. Reports of the luxury SUVs being targeted by gangs of organised thieves and owners finding it difficult to secure affordable insurance may be putting second-hand buyers off the notion of owning one.

If you own one of the 10 cars pictured and are thinking of selling today, you can expect to wait more than two months to find a buyer, a new report says

The car that takes the longest to sell is the Vauxhall Crossland SUV. 

The average time between owners listing a one-year-old Crossland on Auto Trader and a buyer being found is a whopping 75 days, the online platform says.

That’s more than five times longer than it takes to offload the fastest-selling car, the Kia XCeed.

Owners who advertise the year-old examples of the Korean crossover will usually see it gone in 14 days.

‘With sharp styling and lots of onboard technology, the Kia XCeed is proving to be a popular choice amongst Britons looking to get their hands on an easy-going and affordable vehicle,’ Erin Baker from Auto Trader told us.

It’s not good news if you own a year-old Vauxhall Crossland petrol. The average time it takes to sell one of these compact crossovers is a staggering 75 days

While it takes two and a half months to shift a Vauxhall Crossland, owners of year-old Kia XCeeds can sell theirs in just a fortnight. It is the nation’s fastest-selling used model today

The data is based on vehicle sales this year, tracking the average duration models have been listed between 15 January and 11 February.

Other models that are easy to offload include the electric Tesla Model 3 and Mercedes-Benz EQC.

Finding a new keeper for either of these EVs takes only 14.5 days, the data show.

This could be linked to the fact electric car prices dropped significantly last year, making used EVs generally far more affordable than they were in the middle of 2022.

With the second-hand value of electric cars plummeting last year, some EVs make an appealing used purchase. This might be why a  1 to 3-year-old Tesla Model 3 sells in 14.5 days

Another EV that’s not hanging around for long on the used market is year-old examples of the Mercedes EQC, which take just 14.5 days to find a new owner

Auto Trader says that for the last six months, EVs have been the fastest selling fuel type.

However, in February, used petrol cars have accelerated past their battery powered counterparts, taking just 26 days to sell, compared to 28 for both EVs and diesel cars.  

Another notable model that’s changing hands quickly is the Ford Fiesta, with buyers for one-year-old examples snapping them up in an average of 16 days.

The combination of the popularity of Ford’s supermini – and the fact the Fiesta ended production last summer – has resulted in quick turnarounds for sales of used examples.

Another second-hand motor that sells fast is the Ford Fiesta. Owners of year-old examples can move them on in an average of 16 days, says Auto Trader

Long delays selling Range Rovers 

Among the top 10 slowest-selling cars is four different Land Rover models – be it much older versions.

Ongoing concerns about the security of ageing models, linked to these premium 4X4s being targeted by organised criminal gangs, appears to have made them less appealing to used car buyers.

That’s despite Jaguar Land Rover’s commendable efforts to invest £15million fitting its older models (dating back to 2016) with its latest security technology to fend off organised gangs targeting its luxury SUVs.

Recent reports of sky-high premiums – especially for those living in London – could also be having an impact on demand for second-hand examples. 

Some Range Rover drivers have claimed insurers are refusing to cover their 4X4s and others are unable to secure an affordable solution using JLR’s own insurance product launched last year to help customers during this spikey period for the brand.

A Money Mail survey of insurers this week found Aviva has introduced a new additional ‘theft excess’ which applies only to Land Rovers and Range Rovers.

Other insurers — including major brand Direct Line — won’t take on any new Range Rover customers, while over-50s giant Saga refused to offer cover to a customer of 15 years when their policy came up for renewal.

Auto Trader’s data now shows that sellers of older versions of the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Land Rover Discovery are finding it more difficult to move these cars on. 

Diesel Range Rovers between five and 10 years old now take an average of 72.5 days to sell – only the Vauxhall Crossland takes longer.

Owners of 5 to 10-year old Range Rovers can expect to be waiting a while for their SUVs to sell. They are advertised for 72.5 days on average before a buyer is found, says AutoTrader

If you have a diesel Range Rover Sport that’s 10 to 15 years old, it will generally take over two months (66 days) for it to sell 

Land Rover Discovery 4 owners are also having difficulty moving on their 4X4s. It takes an average of 65 days to find a buyer

Diesel-powered Range Rover Sports between 5 to 10 years old take an average of 61 days between being listed for sale and a buyer being found

In fifth overall in the rankings of longest-to-sell motors is the older Range Rover Sport diesels between 10 and 15 years old, which also take over two months to shift at an average of 66 days.

The Land Rover Discover 4 diesel (10 to 15 years old) is close behind in seventh with an average of 65 days on sale before a buyer is found, and the Range Rover Sport diesel variants between five and 10 years also take two months to sell at 61 days on average.

Marc Palmer, head of strategy and insight at Auto Trader, told This is Money: ‘Beyond overall demand, there’s various trends and factors that cause certain used car models to take longer to sell, including the fuel type, price, age, and the volume of stock available in the market. 

‘The current slowest selling cars are largely older diesels, which are not only more at risk of the latest ULEZ standards, but they’re also more expensive to run due to the high – albeit softening – fuel prices. 

‘On Auto Trader, demand for diesel cars fell 7 per cent year-on-year and given nine in 10 Land Rovers currently available aged over five-years-old are diesel, some models are particularly susceptible to these market forces.’

Palmer adds that ‘wider considerations may also be at play’ in a hint to recent reports, but said the market place continues to see ‘very robust demand for what is still one of the world’s most iconic brands’.

Elsewhere, demand for SUVs amongst Britons shows no signs of slowing down with the body type making up six of the ten current fastest selling used cars. 

These include the petrol hybrid Ford Puma, Skoda Karoq and Volvo XC60.

That said, all but two of the  10 slowest to sell models are also SUVs, with the Mazda CX-30, BMW X5 and Seat Arona taking spots in the longest-to-sell league table alongside the Vauxhall Crossland and Land Rover models.

It isn’t just the Vauxhall Crossland and Land Rover models that take over two months to shift. A petrol Mazda CX-30 between 2 to 5 years old takes a whopping 70 days for owners to sell

If you’re selling a 1 to 3 year old BMW X5 diesel, expect it to take 67.5 days to find a buyer

Year old examples of the Seat Arona petrol crossover also take more than two months to sell on average – 65 days, says AutoTrader

While there are a couple of EVs in the top 10 fastest-selling models, it’s not the same story for the Peugeot e-208. It takes 64 days to shift a 1 to 3-year-old example

Given we’re in winter right now, it’s not surprising to see Mercedes-Benz E Class Cabriolets (5-10 years old) taking two months (61.5 days) to find a new buyer

In terms of the fastest selling regions, Scotland topped the rankings taking on average 24 days for dealers to sell their vehicle stock to consumers. 

This was followed by the North East, West Midlands and Yorkshire & the Humber which were tied in second and took on average 25 days. 

The slowest selling location was London with retailers taking on average 31 days to shift used cars off their forecourts.

The extended durations to sell cars in the capital is ‘likely linked to the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone’ and drivers in the London wanting to move on vehicles that are not compliant with ULEZ rules and are therefore subject to £12.50 charges each day they’re driven, says Auto Trader.