Used EVs sell faster than petrol cars as Audi Q4 E-tron tops US speed list

Used electric cars are selling faster than petrol and hybrid models in the United States, and the quickest mover in September 2026 was the Audi Q4 E-tron Sportback, according to analysis firm iSeeCars. No Tesla appeared in the top ten fastest-selling used EVs that month, despite Tesla's dominance of the electric market.

Used EVs spent an average of 41.9 days on the lot, 10.1% quicker than in September 2025 and almost two weeks faster than the 54.8 days petrol cars took, iSeeCars found. Petrol car selling times lengthened by 19.9% over the same period.

Prices rise fastest on used EVs

Used EV prices climbed 9.8% year on year in September, double the 4.8% increase for used hybrids and far ahead of the 0.3% rise for used petrol cars. iSeeCars executive analyst Karl Brauer attributed the shift to sustained higher fuel prices and to the EV segment recovering from the demand shock that followed the loss of federal incentives a year earlier.

Tesla's own used values moved sharply, with Model S prices up 22% and Model X up 18%, the two largest increases of any used car regardless of powertrain. That partly explains why Teslas did not feature among the fastest sellers, even as the brand remains the biggest name in the electric market.

The price gap matters for buyers weighing a used EV against a used petrol car: electric residuals are firming while petrol residuals stall, which changes the maths on total cost of ownership rather than just the sticker price.

Small crossovers lead, big electric trucks trail

Behind the Q4 E-tron Sportback, the fastest-selling used EVs were the Toyota bZ4X and Lexus RZ 300e, followed by the Honda Prologue, BMW iX and Polestar 2. No Lucid or Rivian models made the top ten either.

At the other end, the slowest sellers were large, expensive SUVs and pickups. The Cadillac Escalade IQ was the slowest by a wide margin, ahead of the GMC Sierra EV, Chevrolet Silverado EV and Volvo EX90, with the Hummer EV also on the list.

The pattern suggests used EV shoppers are gravitating toward smaller, practical crossovers with distinctive styling and well-finished interiors, rather than the biggest and priciest electric hardware on the market.

Supply still skews heavily to petrol

Choice remains lopsided. Autotrader listed 1,384,383 used petrol and diesel cars nationwide against 44,434 used EVs, and the smaller number of EV models means buyers cross-shop less.

iSeeCars' figures cover the US market only, and the firm has not published equivalent Australian data, so any read-across to local used values is inference rather than measurement.

The used-EV picture also looks better than it once did on battery health, with recent data showing EV range degrades less over time than previously assumed. For buyers who had written off second-hand electric cars over long-term range loss, that removes one of the main objections.

American drivers went to the polls on Tuesday 3 November 2026 with the national average for a gallon of 87 octane petrol at $4.12, the highest price ever recorded on a US Election Day, according to GasBuddy. The figure extends a run of record highs: the country has just set a new mark for the most consecutive days above $4 a gallon, and that streak has not ended.

Diesel is dearer still, at $6.28 a gallon on the same day. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, meanwhile, has fallen to its lowest level since October 1982 as the country continues to draw it down.

A price record set against a backdrop of tariffs and war

The midterm vote is being watched internationally as a signal of how Americans feel about President Trump's tariffs, the war with Iran and immigration enforcement policy. Fuel costs are expected to shape the result at the ballot box in the way egg prices fed into 2024.

Petrol is not the only cost climbing. Diesel at $6.28 a gallon sits even further above its usual level than petrol does. That matters because diesel feeds freight, farming and delivery, so the gap between the two fuels spreads through the wider economy rather than staying at the forecourt.

Comparisons with Europe only go so far. Measured per ounce of fuel, petrol costs more in other parts of the world, but the sharp rise in US fuel costs still weighs on the American economy, since higher energy prices pass through into almost every part of daily life and hurt nearly everyone except oil companies.

V8 concepts unveiled in a record price week

The timing is awkward for the industry's week in Las Vegas. The record landed during the SEMA Show, where Jeep displayed a concept expected to offer a Hellcat V8 as an optional engine in production form. General Motors, meanwhile, has launched a new 8.3-litre Duramax engine while diesel sits at $6.28 a gallon.

Both moves look out of step with the pump, but they are bets on buyers who still want power and towing capacity regardless of the weekly fuel bill. The cost of filling either will be set by prices drivers can already see on the forecourt sign.

What happens to prices after the vote

Fuel prices are likely to stay high whatever the electoral outcome. Suspensions of state gas taxes are only temporary relief at the pump.

The sources do not put a figure or a date on any fall. What they do say is that even if fuel prices eventually return to normal, some linked costs will not follow them down: American Airlines' chief financial officer has said plane ticket prices will not drop in future.

For drivers, that points to a split reality. The pump price may ease at some stage, but the cost of flying, hauling and the goods moved by diesel is being set at today's levels, so household budgets are unlikely to recover in step with the forecourt sign.