Six out of ten of Spain’s best-selling used cars are more than 15 years old

Transparency note: This press release was originally published in Spanish. The text has been machine translated. You can find the original press release here.

• The most traded used cars have an average age of 16.3 years and have accumulated nearly 189,000 kilometers

• More than half of the vehicles analyzed show at least one risk indicator in their history, 5 percentage points above the national fleet average

• Only 36% of the best-selling cars have had a single owner

Madrid, August 27, 2026 – The most sought-after used cars in Spain have a particularly old profile and high accumulated mileage. This is revealed by an analysis from CARFAX, the largest private provider of vehicle history reports in Spain and Europe, which reviewed data from nearly 5 million vehicles corresponding to the best-selling used models during the first half of 2026.

These data highlight one of the main characteristics of the used vehicle market in Spain: 61% of the best-selling cars are more than 15 years old, ten percentage points above the Spanish vehicle fleet as a whole, where this figure stands at 51%. In terms of average age, the vehicles analyzed reach 16.32 years, compared with 14.95 years for the national fleet, while their average mileage amounts to 188,979 kilometers, compared with the Spanish average of 176,270 kilometers.

A used car market marked by age and mileage

The advanced age of the vehicles driving the used car market is accompanied by higher accumulated usage. On average, vehicles from the best-selling models are 1.4 years older and have accumulated almost 13,000 additional kilometers compared with the Spanish fleet as a whole.

This profile is also reflected in the number of owners. Only 36% of the vehicles analyzed have had a single owner, compared with 44% of the national fleet, while the average stands at 2.9 owners per vehicle, compared with 2.6 for passenger cars in Spain overall.

This greater use and higher owner turnover are also reflected in these cars’ histories. 45% of vehicles from the best-selling used models have such records, four percentage points above the 41% recorded for the Spanish vehicle fleet overall. In addition, 56% show some type of risk, compared with the national average of 51%. It should be noted that these risks are informational in nature and not all have the same level of severity, but they must be taken into account when assessing a vehicle’s condition.

Seat and Volkswagen lead preferences in the used market

When analyzing brand share, Seat clearly leads transactions, accounting for 28% of the best-selling cars, followed by Volkswagen (16%), Renault (12%), Ford (11%) and Opel (10%).

CARFAX’s analysis also identifies the models with the strongest presence within this group of vehicles. The Seat Ibiza and Volkswagen Golf top the ranking, with 16% and 15%, respectively, followed by the Seat León and Renault Clio, both with 12%, and the Ford Focus, with 11%.

The Seat Ibiza, the top-ranking model, has an average age of 17 years, has accumulated 180,000 kilometers, and 43% of the units analyzed show records of damage.

The Volkswagen Golf, meanwhile, stands out for its advanced age and mileage: its units have an average age of 18 years and have accumulated 213,000 kilometers. In addition, 49% show records of damage and 61% have some type of associated risk.

The Seat León, the third most represented model, has an average age of 14 years and 200,000 kilometers, and records the highest percentage of vehicles with damage among the five models analyzed, at 51%. Completing the ranking are the Renault Clio, with an average of 15 years and 154,000 kilometers, and the Ford Focus, with 17 years and 197,000 kilometers.

Diesel maintains its dominance among the best sellers

Despite the growing presence of electrified technologies in the new vehicle market, the used models that concentrate the highest demand mainly use diesel (52%) and gasoline (45%) engines, while hybrids account for only 3%.

In terms of origin, 6% of the vehicles analyzed are imported units. These vehicles have an average mileage of 223,760 kilometers and 49% show records of damage. Vehicles from rental fleets, meanwhile, account for 9%, with 51% of units associated with damage.

Geographically, Madrid accounts for 13% of these transactions, followed by Barcelona (8%) and Valencia (4%).

The importance of knowing a vehicle’s history before buying

The profile of the most in-demand used models highlights the importance of gaining a detailed understanding of a vehicle’s past before buying it. When the cars attracting the greatest demand are, on average, more than 16 years old and have accumulated close to 189,000 kilometers, having information about their history allows buyers to assess the vehicle with greater context.

Checking aspects such as recorded mileage, the number of owners, origin, or possible damage records can help provide a more complete view of the car and support a more informed purchase decision.