Conclusion for the used car market in 2020
In the turbulent year of 2020, the used car market held up well. During the initial phase of the coronavirus crisis in the spring of 2020, sales did indeed fall sharply. However, from mid-May, this turned around into strong growth. Alongside pent-up demand, this was most likely due to many people avoiding public transport and travelling more frequently by car, leading them to buy a different or an additional car. As a result, used car sales increased. To meet this strong demand, more used cars were imported, and a new import record was set. In the autumn, sales declined somewhat, a trend that was amplified by the closure of showrooms in December.
Due to high demand in the Netherlands, exports decreased. Lockdown measures and reduced demand in export markets also had a strong influence on exports. At the same time, a shift in demand is visible, with various traditionally popular cars being displaced by small models and SUVs on the one hand, and on the other hand, towards Volkswagen, Asian, and premium brands at the brand level.
Imports reach record high
In 2020, 237,816 used cars were imported, the highest number ever. With 14,184 more used cars than in 2019, growth stood at 6.31 per cent. This is a good result, particularly given that many borders closed in the spring. From June onwards, imports picked up strongly again, fuelled by high demand for used cars in our country.
Imports from Germany rose sharply. No fewer than 63.51% of imported used cars came from Germany. Imports from Denmark rose even more sharply in relative terms, overtaking Sweden. There were further shifts in the countries of origin for used cars in 2020.
Significantly fewer cars arrived from Spain, Italy, Croatia, Great Britain, Switzerland and Austria. In contrast, imports from the Czech Republic, Poland and Portugal increased. This is due to varying lockdowns per country, and their impact on tourism, and therefore on the number of ex-rental cars. Imports from further afield countries such as the United States and Japan also fell sharply.
Top 5 countries of origin for imports
Volkswagen by far the largest import brand
One in six imported used cars is a Volkswagen. This means the brand remains the market leader, just as it was last year. The strongest growth was seen among (primarily German) premium brands and Asian brands. Mazda (+25%), Nissan (+23%), Kia (+22%) and Audi (+19%) stand out in particular. There was also an increase of 701 units in Tesla imports, but with this rise to 389 cars, it remains a small brand in the import market.
Imports of Lamborghinis also rose by more than half, with 67 units imported in 2020. Brands whose imports fell include Jaguar (-181 units compared to 2019), Peugeot (-131 units compared to 2019), Volvo (-121 units compared to 2019) and Renault (-61 units compared to 2019). In 2019, Renault was still the third-largest import brand; in 2020, it fell to sixth place.
Import Nissan Qashqai climbs further
Imports of the most popular imported car, the Volkswagen Golf, fell by 4.1%. This meant it just managed to stay ahead of the Volkswagen Polo, by a margin of less than 100 cars. Imports of the Nissan Qashqai rose sharply, propelling this model into third place.
Other models that saw a significant increase in imports in 2020 were the Volkswagen Tiguan (+331 units compared to 2019), Volkswagen Up! (+301 units compared to 2019), Audi A1 (+231 units compared to 2019), Toyota Yaris (+221 units compared to 2019) and Mercedes-Benz A-Class (+171 units compared to 2019).
In contrast, there were declines in sales of a number of traditionally popular German import models: the BMW 5 Series (-16%), the Opel Astra (-13%) and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (-14%).
Top 5 used import models
Export hit by the consequences of the pandemic
Exports of used cars fell sharply in 2020. A total of 271,092 passenger cars were exported, over 30,000 fewer than in 2019. This represents a decrease of 10.11 per cent. This is mainly due to many borders being closed for a period, and companies in various countries having to scale back their operations. Partly due to lower new car sales, there was high demand domestically, resulting in more cars being sold on the domestic used car market.
Poland remained the main export destination, although fewer used cars were exported there. Exports to Libya, Italy and Georgia fell sharply. By contrast, more cars were exported to Belgium, Lithuania, Guinea and Ukraine. Exports to France, Slovakia and Slovenia actually increased by more than 50%.
One striking emerging market is Afghanistan. More than five times as many cars were exported there in 2019 compared to previous years; a total of 112 cars is still modest, but already more than to Russia or Norway.
Top 5 exporting countries
* The destination country is known for approximately 80% of all exports from the Netherlands.
Volkswagen dominates the export market
Volkswagen remained the largest export brand, but exports fell by 4.21% in 2020. The decline was much sharper for Opel, at -30.81%. The French brands Peugeot and Renault did, however, grow, overtaking Opel and both securing a place in the top three.
Exports from most other major brands declined. This decline was strongest for many Asian brands (Mitsubishi, Mazda, Kia, Honda, Hyundai). Like Opel, these were often exported to Libya and other countries in Africa, and are now suffering from declining exports to that continent. Growth is only seen in brands that primarily go to European countries; Mini, smart, DS, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Porsche.
Small models are in demand on the export market
As in 2019, exports of the Peugeot 308 rose sharply again in 2020. It even became the second most exported model after the Volkswagen Golf. This was because a large number of these cars were released from lease contracts. It is also striking that exports of many small cars from the B-segment rose sharply: the Ford Fiesta (+12%), Volkswagen Polo (+18%), Renault Clio (+22%), Fiat Punto (+22%) and Toyota Yaris (+30%).
In contrast, far fewer Opel Astras were exported. Exports of other important export models such as the Skoda Octavia, Ford Focus and Opel Zafira also fell sharply. In some cases, this is related to the countries to which exports declined, and sometimes because fewer vehicles of a certain model were released from leases. The latter also strongly applies to the Mitsubishi Outlander, where exports almost halved.
Top 5 used car export models
Nearly 5,500 cars per day
In total, consumers bought 1,987,100 used cars, an increase of 1.01% compared with 2019. That’s almost 5,500 used cars sold every day! Of the nearly 2 million cars sold, a total of 1,349,825 used passenger cars were sold by car dealers (B2C). That is 17,204 more used cars than in 2019; an increase of 1.31% year-on-year. Sales between consumers (C2C) also rose. Growth was particularly strong in the spring, but slowed somewhat later in the year. A total of 637,307 used cars were sold C2C; 0.3% more than in 2019.
Premium brands sold more
The top 5 best-selling brands remained the same. It is particularly noteworthy that market leader Volkswagen's sales grew strongly, while sales from the other four major brands lagged behind last year. Volkswagen became even more dominant.
Sales of Volvos, Fiats and Citroëns also fell, whilst the Asian brands Toyota, Kia and Mazda saw an increase in used car sales, as did many premium brands; Audi by as much as +12.8% and Mercedes by +9.0%, moving it up from 10th to 8th place. No fewer than 24% more used Porsches were sold, meaning Porsche is now in the top 25 largest brands for the first time.
Top 10 brands second-hand sales B2C
Small cars in demand
More Volkswagen Golf and Polo models were sold, further strengthening their leading position. Sales of the third-placed Opel Corsa, however, fell sharply. The Ford Focus and Opel Astra also declined.
Sales of a number of small models in particular rose: the Toyota Aygo (+9.51% year-on-year), Toyota Yaris (+9.21% year-on-year), Kia Picanto (+7.11% year-on-year), VW Up! (+6.91% year-on-year) and Fiat 500 (+6.91% year-on-year). Also striking is the strong growth seen in the Audi A3 (+13.7%), Nissan Qashqai (+14.3%) and Mercedes C-Class (+10.9%). This makes the Nissan Qashqai the best-selling used SUV and the only SUV in the top 20 used cars.
Top 10 used car sales models B2C
Source: VWE Automotive