72%
of recalled UK vehicles remain unfixed
Only around 28% of owners complete free safety-recall repairs, leaving dangerous defects on the road.
Source: UK Vehicle Recalls 2025 →The Carhealth Index
Data worth citing on the UK used-car market: safety recalls, mileage fraud, outstanding finance and market trends. Every figure is free to reference; a link back to the source is all we ask.
The figures
Free
to check any registration for safety recalls on GOV.UK
Recall repairs are usually free for the owner. Check the reg before you buy, not after.
Source: GOV.UK vehicle recall check →7.64m
used cars changed hands in the UK in 2024
Up 5.5% year-on-year, the healthiest used-car market since 2020.
Source: UK Used Car Market Report →+57.4%
growth in used-EV sales, year-on-year
188,382 used EVs sold as average prices fell about 21%, the fastest-growing used segment.
Source: UK Used Car Market Report →16.25%
of cars scanned in a 2025 diagnostic study showed mileage or identity discrepancies
A sample of cars whose owners ran a diagnostic scan, so not every used car on sale. Check the MOT mileage history on every car.
Source: Mileage fraud guide (Carly data) →1964
Hire Purchase Act protects some good-faith buyers, but not all
Part III can give a private buyer good title to a car on hire purchase. It does not cover every agreement, so check before you pay.
Source: Hire Purchase Act 1964, Part III →How to cite
The Carhealth Index is published under a CC BY 4.0 licence. You're free to use these figures in articles, reports and presentations, including commercially, as long as you credit Carhealth with a link to the relevant source.
Carhealth, “The Carhealth Index: UK Used-Car Data”, carhealth.co.uk. Available at: https://carhealth.co.uk/carhealth-index
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