Will prices for used electric cars continue to fall in 2025?

Compared to the previous year, the share of electric vehicles advertised increased by 1 % and now stands at 5 % of all vehicles listed. The share of advertised vehicles with hybrid drives rose by 3 % to 12 %. “We’re seeing a shift on our platform towards a broader range of products that meet the needs of environmentally conscious consumers,” explains Alberto Sanz de Lama, Managing Director of AutoScout24. The most electric vehicles were advertised in the cantons of Zurich, St. Gallen and Aargau last year. In the lead: the Tesla Model 3, closely followed by the Škoda Enyaq iV and VW ID.3.  

Electric vehicles and SUVs dominate

Despite the upturn in electric and hybrid vehicles, those with petrol and diesel engines continue to dominate the market. In 2024, around 56 % of ads on AutoScout24 were for petrol cars (-3 %) and 26 % (-2 %) for diesel vehicles. Compared to the previous year, over 19’000 additional SUVs were listed, confirming their continued popularity in Switzerland. A look at the leading models shows that the VW Golf and Škoda Octavia continued to be the frontrunners in search queries. The Audi A4 and A3, on the other hand, recorded a slight decline in popularity, while such models as the BMW X1 and X3 gained in popularity, as did the Toyota Yaris.

Electric vehicles are becoming more affordable

In general, prices for vehicles listed on AutoScout24 increased by around 1 % in 2024. Used battery-powered electric cars became 12 % cheaper on average, mild hybrids 7 %, plug-in hybrids 2 % and full hybrids 1 %. “Electric and hybrid vehicles are more expensive to buy, but are subject to more pronounced price drops, especially compared to petrol cars,” says Matthias Bischof, Director Business Customers at AutoScout24. 

Supply and demand forecast

The Covid-related supply bottlenecks have been overcome. Bischof expects there to be an oversupply of used cars in 2025. “Manufacturers are looking to boost sales and launch more vehicles,” he says. The reduction in CO₂ target values from 118 to 93.6 g CO₂ per kilometre from 2025 is putting importers and dealers under pressure to sell more cars with alternative drives. Many dealers could offer discounts to attract buyers. This will also further depress prices in the used car market, as more cars will be available.

Dataset

The analysis examined supply data for passenger cars for 2024 (1 January –31 December 2024) and 2023 (1 January –31 December 2023) at autoscout24.ch. For the supply and price analyses, the supply data was segmented according to new and second-hand vehicles, according to fuel type (divided into new and used cars) and according to vehicle type (also divided into new and used cars).