After a sluggish start to the year, Belgium’s second-hand car market bounced back in March. The Brussels Motor Show is partly to thank. But the real story is what’s happening under the hood: an aging fleet, a cautious private buyer, and an electric share that is slowly, steadily climbing.
The first quarter of 2026 was not a great one for Belgium’s used car market on paper. A total of 181,953 second-hand passenger cars were registered between January and March, down 2.3% compared to the same period in 2025.
January was the worst month (-7.0%), February stayed negative (-1.7%), but March managed to close in the green, up 2.0% year-on-year, albeit aided by one extra working day.
To explain the trend reversal, Belgian automotive trade federation Traxio points to what it calls the “motorshow effect”. Buyers who visited the Brussels Motor Show and ordered a new car are now taking delivery and hand in their old one.
That wave of trade-ins feeds directly into the used-car supply and, with it, demand. The show floor effect, it turns out, ripples through both ends of the market.
Private buyers rule the lot
The used car market in Belgium remains overwhelmingly a private affair. Some 90.7% of all second-hand registrations in Q1 were by individual buyers rather than companies or leasing firms. That makes it a very different animal from the new car market, where these channels dominate transactions.
Those private buyers are, for the most part, still choosing combustion. Petrol cars account for 56% of used registrations, diesel for 22.7%, and full hybrids for 15.3%. Fully electric vehicles represent just 5.5% of the used market. It’s a modest share, but it’s growing (+0.9%).
Who buys used EVs?
The profile of a second-hand EV buyer, however, is completely different. More than half (55%) are on behalf of company or leasing company accounts instead of private buyers. So, private uptake of used electric vehicles remains limited. The used-car market recognizes that electrification remains a corporate affair.
Price remains the most obvious barrier. While a used EV is considerably cheaper than a new one, the gap to comparable used combustion vehicles is still wide enough to give many private buyers pause. The used EV market is growing from the supply side first; private demand is following, but slowly.
Classic names on top
As for what people are actually buying, the usual suspects emerge. The Volkswagen Golf leads the Q1 used car charts with 7,011 registrations, followed by the VW Polo (5,385) and the Opel Corsa (4,598). The BMW 3 Series (3,881) and BMW 1 Series (3,549) round out the top five.
Despite last month’s recovery, the mood in showrooms is uneasy. TRAXIO’s own dealer soundings indicate that the escalation of the Middle East crisis has already led to a measurable dip in buyer confidence and foot traffic at some dealers.
For the used EV segment specifically, a surprise would be in the making if the oil crisis keeps lingering and ex-lease vehicles reach affordable price points.
