Surprising used car market facts of 2023: from popular vehicle colors to mileage fraud

While the used car market has become more transparent throughout the years, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. According to the research of carVertical, an automotive data company, half of the BMWs on the platform had been damaged. They’re also a popular target among thieves, with a share of 17.7%. In 2023, 7.5% of all vehicles checked on the platform had been clocked, totaling to 7.7 billion kilometers. The Volkswagen Golf takes the crown as the most popular car in 2023, overtaking the BMW 3 Series.

BMW cars get into accidents the most

In 2023, 1.78 million damage events were spotted on carVertical. The highest damage value belongs to one Lamborghini Huracán, which suffered damages worth €250,000. The total damages vehicles in the research have suffered exceeded €4.4 billion. In 2022, this number was €5.1 billion.

BMW is the most damaged brand on the platform, with 48.4% of all cars having damage records. Audi (43.9%), Skoda (43.7%), Dacia (43.5%), and Lexus (42.4%) are not very far behind. On average, 39.3% of all used vehicles checked on the platform had been damaged, suggesting that the chances of buying a car with a shady history are pretty high.

Premium German cars attract thieves the most

Last year, many stolen vehicles were spotted on carVertical. However, the actual number of thefts may be even hundred times higher in Europe, as stolen cars rarely make it to the used vehicle market. Most of the time, they’re disassembled and sold for parts in the black market.

BMW cars are the most desired among thieves, as 17.7% of all stolen vehicles on the platform belonged to this German manufacturer. Mercedes-Benz (15.3%) and Audi (12%) models also attract wrongdoers, suggesting that premium vehicle owners should be cautious. Ford (6.1%) and Volkswagen (5.4%) also make it to the top 5.

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Most stolen cars were manufactured between 2016 and 2019, as 5-7 year old vehicles are highly desired in the used car market. The majority of stolen cars were produced in 2016 – 12.4%.

Every 13th car has been clocked

Of all vehicles checked on carVertical in 2023, 7.5% had been clocked. This means that 1 out of 13 cars in the market had an altered odometer, causing buyers to overpay for such a vehicle. In total, 7.7 billion clocked kilometers were recorded on the platform, a slight increase from 7.4 billion in the previous year.

The biggest mileage rollback of the year belongs to the Volvo V70 – its mileage was altered by a staggering 450,000 kilometers. One can only imagine this car’s actual mileage before the rollback. However, nobody can beat one Toyota RAV4, which had a mileage of 993,000 km on the odometer.

Certain vehicle brands are more susceptible to mileage fraud. 14.3% of all Opel cars had been clocked, highlighting the importance of history checks when considering buying a used one. Opel is followed by Jeep (12.8%), Land Rover (11.4%), Lexus (10.8%), and Porsche (10.5%).

Mileage rollbacks are more common among older cars. 13.8% of all cars manufactured in 1995 had clocked mileage, making it the riskiest year to buy a vehicle. Mileage fraud is also common among cars manufactured between 2012 and 2016, where clocking rates are around 11%. The odometers of newer cars can be accessed via special diagnostics tools and don’t need mechanical intervention.

The Volkswagen Golf was the most checked car in 2023

When it comes to the most favorite vehicles by platform users, BMW took the crown with a share of 14.7%. This means 1 out of 7 cars checked on the platform was manufactured by this manufacturer. Volkswagen (14.3%), Audi (11.9%), Mercedes-Benz (8.4%), and Ford (5%) were also popular choices.

The most desired model on carVertical in 2023 was the Volkswagen Golf (accountable for 4.91% of all history checks on the platform). The BMW 3 Series (4.89%), Volkswagen Passat (3.8%), BMW 5 Series (3.7%), and Audi A4 (3.5%) were also common among used car buyers.

While drivers have different car color preferences, black (29.6%), gray (26.6%), and white (18.8%) have dominated the market. The share of extravagant colors like green, purple, or yellow rarely exceeds 1%.

The study analyzed information from 26 different countries: the UK, USA, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Australia, and Mexico. All facts are based on the company’s aggregated data.