Spaniards buy increasingly older second-hand cars

A report Carfax compiled following an analysis of nearly five million sales involving the best-selling second-hand cars during the first half of 2026 shows that six out of ten of the best-selling second-hand cars in Spain (61%) are over 15 years old.

This is particularly concerning when compared with the country's own vehicle fleet, which is already one of the oldest in Europe.

While across Spain as a whole the proportion of passenger cars over 15 years old stands at 51%, in the second-hand car market this figure is 10% higher.

The analysis reveals that only 36% of best-selling second-hand cars have had just one owner, compared with the national average of 44%. On average, these cars have had 2.9 owners.

This transfer of ownership contributes to a lack of traceability in maintenance records and the emergence of mechanical or legal "surprises". According to Carfax data, 56% of the vehicles analysed show some indication of risk in their records (compared with 51% of the vehicle fleet as a whole) and 45% have a documented history of damage.

Carfax clarifies that these alerts are for information purposes only and vary in severity. The association recommends an in-depth analysis before a purchase.

Seat comfortably leads the second-hand car market, accounting for 28% of all sales of the best-selling models, followed by Volkswagen (16%), Renault (12%), Ford (11%) and Opel (10%).

Particularly noteworthy is the case of the Volkswagen Golf, the second best-selling model on the second-hand market, with a profile of extreme wear and tear (an average age of 18 years and 213,000 km on the clock), with a history of damage in 49% of cases and some form of risk indicator in 61% of the units analysed.

Seat León has the highest percentage of recorded accidents or damage among the leading models, affecting more than half of its stock (51%).

Second-hand car buyers are turning their backs on zero-emission technologies due to price and availability issues. Diesel remains unbeatable, accounting for 52% of sales, followed by petrol engines at 45%. Hybrid vehicles account for a negligible 3% of the market.

Furthermore, the report highlights vehicles from specific sources, such as imported cars (6% of sales), which have a critical average mileage of 223,760 km, with almost half of them (49%) having a history of damage. As for vehicles from hire fleets (9%t of the market), the report indicates that an even higher proportion (51%) have a history of damage.

Geographically, trading activity in the second-hand market is mainly concentrated in the major urban centres. Madrid leads the way with 13% of the total, followed by Barcelona (8%) and Valencia (4%).

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