Record prices on the Polish market. There was no such situation before

This data comes from the latest report of the car dealer network AAA Auto, which monitors all used car sales channels on the Polish Internet. The latest data indicates that in December alone, there were 198,740 used cars for sale in Poland. The average price was PLN 32,900 last month, which is PLN 1,000 lower than in November.

But this does not mean that those who want to buy a used car have reasons to be happy. Cumulative data for 2023 indicate that the average price of a used car offered on the Polish market was PLN 29,700, which was PLN 6,700 higher than in 2022, when we paid an average of PLN 23,000 for a used car.

Let us remind you that the latest data from the Central Statistical Office show that in the third quarter of last year the average gross salary in the enterprise sector in Poland amounted to a total of PLN 7,194.95. So it's safe to say that over the course of a year, used car prices have gone up by a single (statistical) lot.

According to AAA Auto data, exactly 2,036,602 cars were sold in Poland last year. This means an increase of 297,314 offers compared to 2022. What is the statistical picture of the car offered on the secondary market?

Encouragingly, the average age and average mileage of cars for sale decreased slightly compared to 2022. In 2023, the average age of passenger cars looking for a new owner was 12.7 years (13.5 years in 2022). The average distance traveled was 181,000. km (188 thousand km in 2022).

It seems that reports about the creation of clean transport zones and the imposition of taxes on cars looming, related, among other things, with exhaust emissions, have intensified the phenomenon of disposal of vehicles with diesel engines. As many as 969,248 cars on sale last year had a diesel engine under the hood. Gasoline-powered cars came next with 885,132 vehicles. Buyers can also choose from:

• 117,461 vehicles equipped with LPG facilities,
• 54,347 hybrid cars,
• 9,676 electric cars,
• 715 vehicles equipped with compressed natural gas.

There is an interesting phenomenon regarding used car prices, which seem to rise the farther we get from our western border. For example, the average price of a used car in Lower Silesia Voivodeship was PLN 25,990 with an average age of 13.4 years. In Podlaskie, with an average age of 13.3 years, the average price of a used car was PLN 28,900.

It seems that the purchasing preferences of Polish drivers have not changed. The top ten most used cars for sale included cars from German brands only.

The exceptions are the Skoda Octavia and two Ford models (Focus and Mondeo), but both the manufacturer from Mladá Boleslav and the European branch of the American giant are commonly associated with our neighbors across the Oder River.

There is still a strong desire for a top-class car among Polish buyers. As many as four of the top ten models frequently on sale in 2023 represent premium brands. Interestingly, we will not find among them any model with a star on the hood.

The most cars for sale on the secondary market in Poland for 2023:

1. Opel Astra
2. Audi A4
3. Volkswagen Golf
4. BMW 3 series
5. Volkswagen Passat
6. Ford Focus
7. Skoda Octavia
8. BMW 5 series
9. Audi A6
10. Ford Mondeo