If you run a dealership, there are two numbers you must pay attention to this year: 10 million and 2019. We’re on course to match, and possibly beat, the last pre-pandemic high-water mark for car transactions. It’s not a hype headline; there’s real volume flowing through the market, across both used and new.
Below is the story behind the numbers, who is winning, and how finance can help you take advantage while the momentum is still with us.
Auto Trader analysis shows a market that has refused to slow down. Transaction volumes across 2025 are tracking close to 10 million, which would make this the strongest year since 2019, when the market last operated without major economic shocks. That’s being driven by three forces:
Trade press reporting aligns with what many dealers are feeling: full pipelines, strong enquiry volume, and shorter stock days. One AM Online feature described this as a “return to normal”, but anyone looking at margins knows the picture is more nuanced—volume is up, but costs are rising, and buyers are price-sensitive.
The backbone of the market is still used.
When a consumer believes the car’s value will hold, they buy faster. That’s a trend we’ve seen across 2025: people want predictability, and used cars are delivering it.
Not every part of the market is booming, but enough is ticking along to matter.
Most dealers you speak to will say the same thing: nobody is throwing money around, but when the right product hits the right monthly payment, people commit.
A car in the UK is not just a statement purchase… it’s how people work, socialise, and care for family. Price pain and higher insurance haven’t dented mobility priorities as much as many predicted.
Even when household budgets are tight, people often view a car the way they view their home broadband or heating: “I need this.”
That mindset has two effects:
That’s why demand sticks, even if the £25k SUV becomes a £19k hatchback, or the diesel becomes a petrol hybrid with lower running costs.
1) Anchor your conversations around monthly affordability
Customers who feel safe about the monthly number stop shopping elsewhere.
2) Treat your website like a digital forecourt
If 2025 buyers are browsing at night and on mobile, which they are, the site needs to answer three questions fast:
If those answers are hidden, you lose them to the next dealer tab.
3) Stop gambling on a single age band
Because used volumes are broad, you don’t need to pick a “winner”.
This market isn’t succeeding because consumers have become richer. It’s succeeding because finance has become the bridge between desire and practicality.
Here’s how strong partners can help you beat 2025 averages:
Dealers who tell the financial truth early win more business than those who hide numbers and hope the customer asks.
More transactions mean more chances to build lifelong customers.
But it also means more noise in the market, and noisier competitors.
The dealers winning right now aren’t just “busy”. They are:
They don’t wait six weeks to adjust price or three days to respond to a web form. They move fast and speak human.
We don’t sell cars. We help people buy them.
That means lifting friction from your sales process:
Ready to turn 2025’s record-breaking momentum into real revenue?
Partner with Marsh Finance and unlock faster approvals, near-prime coverage, and finance journeys that convert browsers into buyers.
We’re the lender built for busy dealerships, flexible HP and PCP structures, soft-search eligibility, and decisions that don’t let hot leads go cold.