MarketCheck, the UK’s leading source of used vehicle market data, has today revealed that the average sold price of a used petrol car fell to its lowest level of 2026 in August, following a period of relative stability over the summer.
The average sold price of a used petrol vehicle in Britain stood at £15,234 in August 2026, down from £15,541 in July.
That marks the lowest average sold price recorded by MarketCheck so far this year.
Prices had previously shown signs of levelling out.
The average used petrol car sold for £15,493 in May, £15,477 in June and £15,541 in July.
Looking further back, the average sold price has fallen from £15,950 in January to £15,234 in August, a reduction of approximately £716, or 4.5%, since the beginning of the year.
Alastair Campbell, MarketCheck UK, commented:
“Used petrol prices had been remarkably stable heading into the summer, particularly between May and July, when there was very little movement in the average sold price.
August has broken that pattern. A fall of more than £300 in a month is significant when you consider how flat prices had been immediately beforehand.
We’re now seeing the average used petrol car selling for around £700 less than it was at the beginning of the year, so there is a clear downward trend across 2026 despite periods of stability along the way.
With such volatile petrol prices, MarketCheck will continue to analyse the developing market.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor
| Month | Average Price of Sold Petrol Vehicle (GBP) |
|---|---|
| January 2026 | 15,950.48 |
| February 2026 | 15,789.12 |
| March 2026 | 15,788.11 |
| April 2026 | 15,587.12 |
| May 2026 | 15,493.17 |
| June 2026 | 15,477.39 |
| July 2026 | 15,540.87 |
| August 2026 | 15,234.21 |
About MarketCheck:
We are the leading source of UK automotive data. We collate, enhance and manage more data on the UK used car sector than any other provider. For automotive businesses we bring unprecedented access to live data to power analysis, pricing, reporting and AI agents on the UK used car market.
We track over 650,000 cars and 11500 dealers across 16k locations daily.
Contact:
Alistair Harrison
[email protected]