Diesel remains the leader in Portugal’s used-car market

It may seem odd after so many years of discussion about Diesel’s decline, yet the fact remains: it is still the best-selling powertrain in Portugal’s used-car market.

According to the latest INDICATA Market Watch, the Autorola platform for used-car market analysis, Diesel vehicles accounted for 33.31% of used-car sales in July.

Petrol followed closely at 29.25%, ahead of electric vehicles, which had already reached 16.35%. Plug-in hybrids made up 9.63% of sales, mild hybrids represented 8.23%, and conventional hybrids accounted for 3.23%. Diesel remains in first place, although its lead is steadily narrowing.

Diesel share falls by almost 30% in two years

In July 2024, almost half of all used cars sold in Portugal were Diesel-powered, with a 47.48% share. Two years later, that figure had dropped to 33.31% - a decline of 29.8%.

Petrol also lost ground, slipping from 34.73% to 29.25%, while electrified powertrains expanded their presence. Electric vehicles, for instance, more than doubled their market share over the same period.

INDICATA’s assessment is that Portugal is gradually moving away from a used-car market centred on diesel fuel. Diesel is not vanishing - it retains an important customer base, particularly among high-mileage users - but it is no longer the technology driving market growth.

Supply is adjusting at a slower pace as well. Diesel accounts for 33.31% of sales, yet it still makes up 35.18% of the available stock.

Diesel cars sell more slowly, but prices remain resilient

This gap is also reflected in the time required to sell each vehicle. INDICATA uses Market Days Supply (MDS), an indicator estimating how many days the available stock would last at the current sales rate.

For Diesel, this currently stands at around 83 days, after reaching 113 days during the spring. There has been a clear recovery, but Diesel cars still sell more slowly than petrol models, which take around 75 days, and especially electric vehicles, which take just 55 days.

Despite losing share and turning over more slowly, Diesel prices have held up. INDICATA’s retail price index stands at 101.32 points, using January 2020 as a base of 100. In other words, prices are broadly at the same level as six years ago.

This contrasts sharply with electric vehicles, whose index has fallen to 77.30 points, and plug-in hybrids, which stand at 80.88 points. Petrol, meanwhile, remains particularly highly valued, at close to 111 points.

For INDICATA, this resilience indicates that demand for Diesel remains where its use is justified. However, new considerations are also influencing buying decisions. These include rising fuel prices in 2026, especially for diesel fuel, alongside the growing availability of electrified alternatives.

Diesel remains the leader - but for how long?

The figures do not suggest that Diesel will disappear quickly. It continues to lead sales, represents more than a third of available stock, and its prices have proved far more resilient than those of plug-in powertrains.

However, the trend of the past two years is difficult to overlook. Its share has fallen by more than 14 percentage points, stock is proportionally higher than sales, and turnover is slower than for both petrol cars and electric vehicles.