Australia’s used-car market is showing a notable difference in selling times between near-new vehicles and older used stock, according to figures highlighted in MotorMetrics’ September 2026 market analysis.
Vehicles built in 2025 or later reportedly took a median of 44 days to sell, compared with 29 days for vehicles built between 2022 and 2024.
The figures suggest that newer vehicles are not necessarily the fastest-moving stock on Australian dealership forecourts.
The findings come amid broader changes in the used-vehicle market, including softer sales volumes, increased price competition and a growing supply of vehicles available to buyers.
Near-new vehicles take longer to sell
The reported September data showed a 15-day difference in median selling times between vehicles built in 2025 or later and those manufactured between 2022 and 2024.
A separate comparison indicated that demonstration and near-new vehicles took a median of 46 days to sell, compared with 28 days for established used-vehicle stock.
The figures relate to the vehicles observed in the underlying dataset and should not be interpreted as applying equally to every manufacturer or model.
Selling times can vary significantly depending on vehicle type, kilometres travelled, specification, location and advertised price.
Nevertheless, the comparison is notable because near-new vehicles often carry higher asking prices than older used examples.
They can also compete directly with new vehicles being offered with manufacturer incentives, drive-away pricing campaigns or dealership discounts.
The price difference between a near-new vehicle and an equivalent new model can therefore become an important consideration for buyers.
Lower-priced used vehicles account for a greater share of sales
MotorMetrics’ September figures also highlighted differences between the price ranges of vehicles available for sale and those actually being sold.
Vehicles advertised below $40,000 reportedly accounted for 59.7% of observed sales, despite representing 49.6% of advertised stock.
That means vehicles below $40,000 accounted for a greater proportion of transactions than their share of available listings.
The figures do not necessarily indicate a shortage of all vehicles in that price range.
Demand and availability differ between vehicle categories, individual models and geographic markets.
However, the comparison shows that the distribution of sales does not exactly match the distribution of available stock.
It also provides context for the longer selling times reported for newer vehicles, which frequently occupy higher price brackets.
Price reductions and selling times
MotorMetrics’ September 2026 Australian Dealer Market Report also examined how selling times differed between vehicles sold at their original advertised price and those that underwent a price reduction.
Vehicles that sold without an advertised price reduction spent a median of 18 days on the market.
By comparison, vehicles that had their asking price reduced before sale recorded a median selling time of 64 days.
The report indicated that 39.1% of observed sales involved a price reduction, with a median reduction of $2,088.
The figures demonstrate a substantial difference in selling times between the two groups.
However, they do not establish that reducing a vehicle’s price caused it to remain on the market longer.
Vehicles that required reductions may already have been slower-moving stock, initially priced above comparable vehicles or affected by other factors.
The data is therefore best understood as a comparison of observed selling outcomes rather than proof of a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
Australia’s broader used-car market softened in 2026
Separate reporting from the Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA) and AutoGrab provides additional context.
Their mid-year 2026 Automotive Insights Report recorded 1,300,018 used-vehicle sales across Australia during the first six months of the year.
That represented a decline of 6.6% compared with the corresponding period in 2025.
The reduction became more pronounced as the half-year progressed.
June sales were 16.2% lower than in June 2025, representing the largest year-on-year monthly decline recorded during the first half.
AADA and AutoGrab also reported that used-vehicle supply had increased while sales activity softened.
By June, more than half of the one-to-five-year-old used vehicles sold had undergone an advertised price reduction.
The average discount for that group reached 3.7%.
These findings are consistent with a market in which buyers had more available stock to compare and sellers faced increased pricing competition.
MotorMetrics and AADA/AutoGrab use different datasets and methodologies, so their figures should not be treated as directly interchangeable.
Electrified vehicles recorded different trends
Despite the broader decline in used-vehicle sales, electrified vehicles recorded growth during the first half of 2026.
According to AADA and AutoGrab, used battery-electric vehicle sales increased 54.6% compared with the same period in 2025.
Used plug-in hybrid sales increased 468.4%, although from a relatively small starting base.
The results demonstrate that overall market conditions were not uniform across all vehicle categories.
Differences in powertrain, vehicle age and price range can produce significantly different sales patterns within the same national market.
What the figures mean for used-car stock
The September selling-time data highlights several distinctions within Australia’s used-car market.
Newer used vehicles reportedly took longer to sell than vehicles from the preceding three model years.
Vehicles priced below $40,000 accounted for a larger share of observed transactions than their share of advertised stock.
And vehicles sold following an advertised price reduction spent considerably longer on the market than those sold at their initial asking price.
Together with the broader decline in first-half used-vehicle sales, the figures describe a market in which stock age, price positioning and vehicle category are important factors in selling performance.
For Australian dealerships, these measures provide useful context when comparing the performance of different types of used-vehicle inventory.
The data also reinforces the importance of distinguishing between national market trends and the conditions affecting particular models and price segments.
Sources: MotorMetrics, September 2026 Australian Dealer Market Report; Australian Automotive Dealer Association and AutoGrab, Mid-Year 2026 Automotive Insights Report.