World Cup fever swept the nation, culminating in Spain lifting football’s most coveted trophy. While one champion was crowned on the world stage, Dealer Auction has been reflecting on the standout performers that defined Q2.
So, like Harry Kane finding the back of the net, let’s look at who has been scoring big and delivering winning results.
Setting the pace
In Q2, we continued to expand our reach and connect more buyers with the right vehicles. We delivered over 15 million intelligent stock alerts across the UK – an increase of more than 3 million compared with Q1. These alerts helped us capture 196,680 bids this quarter, demonstrating consistent engagement and strong demand across the platform.
The average sold price reached £6,851, highlighting the strength and diversity of stock available, with dealers continuing to focus on retail-ready vehicles that offer strong resale potential and attractive price points.
Looking year-on-year, the available stock on the platform increased by 55%. This growth strengthened the choice for buyers and created more opportunities for dealers to source the vehicles they need.
Average CAP Clean performance remained robust at 99%, while vehicles continued to move quickly, averaging 2.85 days to sell when sold via natural auction1 – helping dealers shorten remarketing cycles and get funds back into the bank faster.
Finding the back of the net
Just like a successful tournament campaign relies on a strong squad, dealer success relies on having the right opportunities.
Q2 delivered steady, strong results, with estimated trade profit exceeding £2.5 million and total retail value reaching £152.6 million.
These figures reflect the sheer volume and quality of stock available through our platform, giving dealers the tools they need to strengthen their forecourts and make confident buying decisions.
The players dealers keep picking
When it comes to building a winning team, selection matters – and dealers continue to favour vehicles that deliver against their goals (profit!).
Favour again lay with older, higher-mileage vehicles: the average vehicle age remained in the seven-year bracket at 7.7 years, while average mileage increased from 54,595 to 66,098 miles, demonstrating continued confidence in reliable, road-ready stock.
Turning our attention to fuel-type breakdown: petrol accounted for 53.04%, diesel 36.09%, hybrids 8.2% and there was a slight increase for electric vehicles at 2.67%.
The market continues to evolve, but familiar favourites remain key players for dealers looking to stock vehicles customers want.
The Q2 league table
Every tournament has its standout players, and Q2 saw some impressive performers rise to the top.
Taking first place in our CAP Clean rankings – after securing second place in Q1 – was the diesel Mazda CX-5 with 103.1%, closely followed by the petrol Honda Civic with 99.3% and the petrol Hyundai i20 with 99.2%.
Also making a strong showing was the hybrid Nissan Qashqai, the only AFV that featured in the chart, securing fourth place with 98.4%.
When it came to profit performance, the Land Rover Discovery Sport claimed the top spot in the Retail Margin Monitor charts for Q2 2026, delivering an average margin of £4,503.
Our Best Buy category saw the Jaguar F-Pace retain its winning form for a second consecutive quarter, followed by the Mercedes-Benz GLC and Land Rover Discovery 4.
Check out our Retail Margin Monitor to see which models appear in the charts each month!
The Q3 challenge: who will lift the trophy?
After a big acceleration in Q1, Q2 held steady as the used car market outperformed seasonal expectations. This builds confidence in a market that’s showing signs of stability after years of volatility.
As the World Cup reached its decisive stages, the momentum continued to build – and the same can be said for the automotive market. With competition heating up, every decision will count as dealers look to secure the right stock and stay ahead of the game.
Q3 brings a fresh challenge as the market continues to shift, with changing customer preferences, evolving fuel trends and limited availability of sought-after vehicles influencing buying strategies.
The next few months will be about spotting opportunities, making smart moves and securing the vehicles that give dealers the winning advantage.
The Q3 season is just getting started!
1Dealer Auction’s speed-to-sell metric looks at vehicles that have sold naturally via digital auction without any human intervention (e.g. negotiation).
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