Used diesel cars are no longer selling: demand collapses
Demand for used diesel cars aged 5 to 15 is plummeting. Buyers are switching to hybrids and electric vehicles. Would you dare to sell yours?
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Used diesel is sinking: buyers are looking elsewhere
Do you still think your old turbo diesel is worth something? The used car market has taken a sharp turn. Just a few years ago, diesels aged 5 to 15 were the kings of the trade. Today, demand has evaporated. While new car registrations grew slightly in the first half of 2026 thanks to electrified models, the second-hand market is clearly retreating. And the big losers are diesel engines.
It's not just that buyers prefer hybrids and electrics – though they do. It's that the supply of used diesels faces a double-edged problem: cars aged 10 to 15 are increasingly scarce because their owners don't want to part with them, fed up with taking losses or paying for repairs. After 15 years, reliability crumbles and garage costs soar. Some owners, like those who make homemade biodiesel from used cooking oil, hold out; but they're the exception that proves the rule.
Are petrol cars safe? For now, no
The collapse doesn't discriminate entirely. Some analyses suggest used petrol cars will suffer the same fate soon. Regulatory uncertainty and the advance of electrification are changing buying criteria: a combustion car, whatever its type, is starting to be seen as a depreciated asset.
Curiously, 20-year-old cars in good condition – under 200,000 km, sound bodywork – still trade between 3,000 and 5,000 euros. But these are rare cases, almost collector's items. The average buyer is looking for something else.
The immediate future: more supply than demand
With demand for used diesels in free fall, selling one has become an odyssey. Prices are falling, sales times are stretching, and the few interested buyers demand aggressive discounts. Meanwhile, used electric and hybrid cars are starting to fill the listings, though with their own ghosts: battery ageing, few models several years old, and widespread distrust.
Bottom line: if you were planning to list your diesel, good luck. The market is telling you the future belongs to batteries – or to keeping your 1990 car, which at least doesn't depreciate as much. Ironies of climate change.
Do you still think your old turbo diesel is worth something? The used car market has taken a sharp turn. Just a few years ago, diesels aged 5 to 15 were the kings of the trade. Today, demand has evaporated. While new car registrations grew slightly in the first half of 2026 thanks to electrified models, the second-hand market is clearly retreating. And the big losers are diesel engines.
It's not just that buyers prefer hybrids and electrics – though they do. It's that the supply of used diesels faces a double-edged problem: cars aged 10 to 15 are increasingly scarce because their owners don't want to part with them, fed up with taking losses or paying for repairs. After 15 years, reliability crumbles and garage costs soar. Some owners, like those who make homemade biodiesel from used cooking oil, hold out; but they're the exception that proves the rule.
Are petrol cars safe? For now, no
The collapse doesn't discriminate entirely. Some analyses suggest used petrol cars will suffer the same fate soon. Regulatory uncertainty and the advance of electrification are changing buying criteria: a combustion car, whatever its type, is starting to be seen as a depreciated asset.
Curiously, 20-year-old cars in good condition – under 200,000 km, sound bodywork – still trade between 3,000 and 5,000 euros. But these are rare cases, almost collector's items. The average buyer is looking for something else.
The immediate future: more supply than demand
With demand for used diesels in free fall, selling one has become an odyssey. Prices are falling, sales times are stretching, and the few interested buyers demand aggressive discounts. Meanwhile, used electric and hybrid cars are starting to fill the listings, though with their own ghosts: battery ageing, few models several years old, and widespread distrust.
Bottom line: if you were planning to list your diesel, good luck. The market is telling you the future belongs to batteries – or to keeping your 1990 car, which at least doesn't depreciate as much. Ironies of climate change.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (14 replies).
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