Startline’s Used Car Tracker for October also shows 60% agree that they are “more confident about our prospects than we have been for a while.”

A wide range of factors are cited for this optimism - 43% of dealers say stock availability is better, 38% that consumer confidence is improving, 36% electric vehicle (EV) sales are improving, 33% more people are buying used because new cars are so expensive and 25% the market seems to have reached a sweet spot for pricing.

However, there remain some more negative views – 30% believe the market for used EVs remains difficult, 28% that the economy still feels unsteady, 16% sales are strong but overheads are higher and for 10%, stock availability remains an issue.

Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “We’ve been seeing convincing signs of dealer optimism in our Tracker research in recent months, but this is perhaps the strongest vote of confidence seen so far.

“Our reading of this data is that large numbers of dealers believe that some of the biggest issues they have faced in recent times – such as stock availability, electrification and consumer confidence – are all noticeably improving.

“This is not a sentiment that is uniform across the sector, but it’s clear that, for the majority of used car retailers, 2025 as a whole is shaping up to be a good year, despite the headwinds they have been encountering.”

Compiled monthly by APD Global Research – well-known in the motor industry for their business intelligence reporting and customer experience programs – the Startline Used Car Tracker this month questioned 300 consumers and 61 dealers.