As used inventory remains in demand, the number of vehicles in operation in the “sweet spot”, 6- to 12-years-old, declined slightly in the past year.
But those vehicles from model years 2015 to 2021 still make up more than a third of the share, according to Experian’s Automotive Market Trends Report for Q2.
Driving the news: Experian’s aftermarket sweet spot is for 6- to 12-year-old models, which are aged out of general OEM warranties and likely need replacement parts.
The vehicles in the group dropped from 104.8 million in 2025 to 103.5 million this year.
Model years 2017 and 2019 had the most vehicles in the range, nearing 16 million each.
Meanwhile, 2020 and 2021 inventories fell below 14 million.
Used registrations slip: At 10.1 million, used-vehicle registrations in Q2 were down approximately 100,000 units from the midpoint of 2025, but are still up from 2023’s 9.6 million.
New vehicle registrations hit their best Q2 posting in five years, at 4.2 million.
GM led all manufacturers in new vehicle registrations at 16.6%, with Toyota at 15.8%.
By brand, Toyota leads all with a 13.7% share.
Growth in hybrids: The report also shows the share of new registrations that were hybrids has nearly doubled since 2023, from 7.2% to 14.3%.
In the hybrid and plug-in hybrid category, the Toyota Camry made up 12.6% of retail registrations.
The Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V were also above 10%.
All Honda CR-V powertrains led Q2 registrations with a 3% share.
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EV registrations fell: With the expiration of the clean vehicle credit in the past year, new vehicle registrations for EVs fell from 7.8% in 2025 to 6.2% this year.
The Tesla Model Y owned a 40.4% share of the new EVs, with the Model 3 next at 16%.
No other EV had more than a 5% share.
Generational breakdown: Experian noted that Gen X purchased the most vehicles in Q2.
Millennials purchased the highest number of EVs and hybrids.
“So clearly, people are still buying vehicles, but the question is, how does that play out in your local market? While what people purchased informs strategy moving forward, dealers also need to consider how consumer behavior is changing,” said John Howard, Product Management Director for Experian Automotive.
Another trend to follow is that 72% of EV owners replace their vehicles with another EV.
And that ICE owners have bought another ICE vehicle nearly 80% of the time.
The bigger takeaway: Howard points out that affordability is driving many purchasing decisions, including fuel costs, prices, and maintenance.
“As a result, we’re seeing people buy older and lean more heavily into hybrids,” Howard said. “For instance, despite the EV tax credit expiring about a year ago, elevated fuel costs are still a major consideration. Drivers haven’t completely abandoned the idea of electrification; they’re just shifting to the other alternative fuel types. The same concept applies to older model years; some shoppers are finding the features that are important to them in older vehicles that still give them some cost savings on the purchase price.”
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