CarExamer evidence report

UK car market health index

A year-by-year view of whether the condition of cars inspected by CarExamer is getting better or worse, supported by official UK market data.

Recorded 2019–2026 · yearly aggregates

All recorded years

Market summary

Latest recorded year: 2026
Latest health index 63.7 100 = first recorded year
Change since 2019 -36.3 index points
Vehicles analysed 2,735 2,728 inspections
Condition checks 388,674 assessed checklist items

What the evidence says

The 2026 inspected-car market is less healthy than 2019, based on 2,735 vehicles and 388,674 recorded condition checks. An index above 100 means fewer weighted adverse findings than the first recorded year.

Quarterly trend

How the market has moved

Hover or tap a point for its quarter and value. Higher health index is better; a lower adverse-findings rate is better.

Official UK context

What the wider market shows

Evidence since May 2019
Current market signal

Used-car price index

120.4

Latest ONS D7E9 reading, rebased to 2019

2019 baseline100
Average national MOT initial fail rate 29.4% Test-weighted average DVSA classes 3 & 4
Average licensed cars per year 33,501,733 Mean annual stock DfT/DVLA
Average new registrations per year 1,963,773 Annualised quarterly average DfT/DVLA
Average MOT history failure rate 20.6% 20,384 tests DVSA API
Source coverage Availability used for this report
ONS second-hand cars CPI index DVSA national MOT statistics DfT and DVLA vehicle licensing data DVSA anonymised MOT extracts DVSA MOT history API DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service

Recorded evidence

Year by year

2026 63.7 health index -15.7 vs previous year 8.5% adverse rate
CoveragePartial year
Vehicles with adverse items96.8%
Typical vehicle age10.5 yrs
Typical mileage65,226

Areas with the most adverse findings

Body exterior
23.7%
Plug-in diagnostic
19.4%
Wheels and tyres
18.5%
Under body
14.1%
Hybrid system
11.7%
2025 79.4 health index +1.8 vs previous year 6.9% adverse rate
CoverageFull year
Vehicles with adverse items97.5%
Typical vehicle age9.6 yrs
Typical mileage66,050

Areas with the most adverse findings

Body exterior
19.5%
Wheels and tyres
16.9%
Plug-in diagnostic
11.7%
Under body
10.4%
Interior / Luggage Compartment
8.7%
2024 77.6 health index -9.1 vs previous year 7.0% adverse rate
CoverageFull year
Vehicles with adverse items96.4%
Typical vehicle age9.5 yrs
Typical mileage62,764

Areas with the most adverse findings

Body exterior
21.8%
Wheels and tyres
17.2%
Plug-in diagnostic
12.2%
Under body
9.8%
Interior / Luggage Compartment
9.1%
2023 86.7 health index +4.6 vs previous year 6.3% adverse rate
CoverageFull year
Vehicles with adverse items96.0%
Typical vehicle age10.1 yrs
Typical mileage60,584

Areas with the most adverse findings

Body exterior
17.6%
Wheels and tyres
16.7%
Plug-in diagnostic
11.5%
Under body
8.1%
Charging and starting system
7.2%
2022 82.1 health index -16.0 vs previous year 6.6% adverse rate
CoverageFull year
Vehicles with adverse items99.5%
Typical vehicle age9.5 yrs
Typical mileage68,988

Areas with the most adverse findings

Wheels and tyres
16.5%
Body exterior
15.3%
Plug-in diagnostic
9.6%
Under body
8.9%
Brake system
7.1%
2021 98.1 health index -6.1 vs previous year 5.5% adverse rate
CoverageFull year
Vehicles with adverse items93.5%
Typical vehicle age9.8 yrs
Typical mileage63,783

Areas with the most adverse findings

Wheels and tyres
14.5%
Body exterior
13.0%
Wheels and tires
12.7%
Under body
8.3%
Plug-in diagnostic
8.2%
2020 104.2 health index +4.2 vs previous year 5.2% adverse rate
CoverageFull year
Vehicles with adverse items91.5%
Typical vehicle age8.8 yrs
Typical mileage62,978

Areas with the most adverse findings

Body exterior
11.3%
Wheels and tires
9.8%
Hybrid system
8.2%
Plug-in diagnostic
7.6%
Under body
6.6%
2019 100.0 health index Baseline first recorded year 5.4% adverse rate
CoveragePartial year
Vehicles with adverse items93.2%
Typical vehicle age9.0 yrs
Typical mileage72,813

Areas with the most adverse findings

Charging and starting system
9.0%
Wheels and tires
8.5%
Body exterior
8.3%
Interior / Luggage Compartment
6.4%
Rear suspension
6.3%
Ready when you are

Check the individual car before you buy

Market trends show the wider picture. Choose an independent CarExamer inspection to understand the condition, visible defects and buying risk of the specific vehicle you are considering.

Choose an inspection package