New car registrations disrupted by the abolition of environmental performance tax, and used car market prices continue to face structural supply tightness / Used Car Market Statistics Report (April 2026)

Fabrica Communications, which operates the used car information site 'Kurumaerabi.com,' presents the 'Used Car Market Statistics Report,' summarizing the movements of the used car market based on new and used car registration trends in April 2026 and the site's sales trends. The core of this month's report is that the average transaction price at USS used car auctions rose 14.6% year-on-year to 1.221 million yen, marking the 8th consecutive month of year-on-year increases. Meanwhile, new car sales in April surged 9.1% year-on-year due to the postponement of registrations following the abolition of the environmental performance tax, but this is not a recovery in actual demand. The core issue is the continuation of structural supply-demand tightness, where 'even if new car registrations increase, used car supply does not become abundant, and B2B market prices are not pushed down.' High procurement prices are likely to continue at least through the first half of fiscal 2026. In the new car market, registrations surged due to the postponement effect of the environmental performance tax abolition. Domestic new car sales in April 2026 were 373,952 units, up 9.1% year-on-year, the first increase in four months. However, the main reason for this growth is the postponement of registrations in anticipation of the abolition of the environmental performance tax at the end of March. In used car auctions (B2B), the supply-demand structure where the growth in the number of successful bids exceeds the number of listings continues. Export demand has not waned and is supporting domestic market prices. The decline in light vehicle sales is tightening future used car supply, and local dealerships are required to take measures such as strengthening purchasing.