A widespread move by carmakers to steer sales of new cars towards more profitable private sales rather than fleet is likely to exacerbate the ongoing used car shortage, according to the Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA).

The VRA said that a move to steer sales of new cars to private buyers is likely to distort the post-pandemic used car market even further

A major chip shortage combined with disruption from the war in Ukraine has imapcted vehicle production across the globe and led to the “worst supply problems in a generation” – with lead times of up to a year now the norm for all vehicle types as manufacturers prioritise retail channels.     

The significance of the shift taking place is underscored by latest new car registration figures that show year-to-date fleet sales are down 26.0% on 2021 while private registrations are up 11.4%.

The BVRLA has already said that supply shortages are hitting the fleet sector hard and added that the focus on retail sales is a “short-sighted approach” that will cause broader issues across the industry – and now the VRA has said the used car sector will be hit too. 

Chair Philip Nothard explained: “To some extent, it makes sense for manufacturers to do this. New car supply is poor, and factors such as the ongoing semiconductor shortage and the war in Ukraine are unlikely to significantly improve any time soon. Carmakers are simply maximising their profit potential.  

“However, it is likely to distort the used car market to an even greater extent than we have seen over the last couple of years. Historically, fleets have provided a steady, almost clockwork supply of cars into the used sector, but this has fallen massively in recent years as new car production has declined since the start of the pandemic.  

“In contrast, private buyers tend to hang onto their vehicles for a year or two more. The cars that they push into the used market when they get a new model tend to be older, and then they will keep hold of that for longer in turn. The vehicle life model that we have seen for decades, and which has served the used car with a predictable flow of stock no longer fully exists, and this will undoubtedly constrict future supply.”  

Nothard added that there was also a possibility that fleets themselves would become habitualised to operating cars for more extended periods, which would also have an impact.  

“Fleets have operated cars on 3-4 year cycles for decades, but the lack of new car supply together with the low mileage that many racked up during the pandemic means that they are hanging onto them for much longer, often into a fifth year.”  

He pointed out that the big question for the used car market was whether fleets would return to their traditional kinds of cycles or continue to stretch them in the future.

“There’s a strong chance that it is the latter, especially as widespread electrification takes hold. EVs are more expensive than ICE cars, so are more likely to be taken on longer leases and can potentially also be operated for more extended periods without significant component failure.  

“All of this means that the role of fleets within the used car market is shifting and perhaps permanently so in a manner that could reduce supply not just in the short to medium term but longer, too.”