UK’s most listed used cars 2025 according to Howden Insurance

• Volkswagen Golf ranks first with almost 9,000 vehicles for sale, but three other popular models are much cheaper.

• Two Ford models take second and third place, the Fiesta with 8,724 listings and the Focus with 7,662. 

• The BMW 3 Series and the Nissan Qashqai round out the top five. 

A new study reveals that the Volkswagen Golf is the most listed second-hand car in the UK. 

The study, conducted by insurance experts Howden Insurance, analysed data from Auto Trader UK to find out how many listings of each make, model and colour car are available, to determine the most listed second-hand cars.

The Volkswagen Golf ranks first with 8,807 listings. The most listed colour for this car is grey, with 1,946 vehicles, followed by black (1,908) and white (1,503). The average cost of a Golf is £11,394. 

The Ford Fiesta is second with 8,724 vehicles listed. Most of these are blue (1,881 listings), then black (1,629) and red (1,518). Among the most expensive models, a second-hand Fiesta costs an average of £12,842. 

The Ford Focus comes in third place with 7,662 vehicles. For this model, the most listed colour is also blue, for which there are 1,826 listings, followed by black with 1,358 listings and silver with 1,208. This model is the cheapest among the top 10, with an average cost of £5,898. 

Further down the list, the BMW 3 Series is the fourth most listed second-hand car, with 7,165 listings. 1,645 of these are black, 1,574 are blue and 1,542 are grey. The average cost is £8,809. 

The Nissan Qashqai closes the top five with 6,908 vehicles for sale and an average cost of £10,897. The most listed colours for this make and model are black (1,464), grey (1,446) and blue (1,408).  

Vauxhall Corsa, MINI Hatch, BMW 1 Series, Volkswagen Polo and Mercedes-Benz A-Class occupy positions six to ten, with the number of listings ranging from 6,864 to 5,689. 

A spokesperson for Howden Insurance commented on the findings: “Buying a second-hand car is often the most practical choice for many people, as well as the only one they might have, especially with rising costs in the market. The study highlights just how many of the same models are available, showing how these are not just popular but also reliable options, as so many were bought new in the first place.  

“One thing to consider when choosing a car is how much it will cost to insure. Before settling on a model, check different insurance providers for a quote. Keep in mind that quotes for newer models will be more expensive than for older vehicles.  

On top of this, only pay for the cover you need, depending on the car you decide to buy. For example, if purchasing an older vehicle, it might be worth paying for Third-Party Only (TPO) insurance, which is the minimum legal requirement, and a breakdown cover, which provides roadside assistance, as older cars are more likely to experience issues and repairs could cost more than what the car is worth”. 

https://www.howdeninsurance.co.uk/  

Sources:  

• Auto Trader UK 

Methodology:  

• The colour, make and model of all listed cars was collected from Auto Trader UK and the frequency of each was ranked. 

• The final ranking is based on the highest to lowest number of listings for each vehicle. 

• For each make and model, the average second-hand price was also sourced.