Prospects of the second-hand car export market

Currently (March 2026), China's second-hand car export market is in a critical stage of rapid growth and structural transformation, with a broad overall prospect but challenges coexisting.

1、 Market size and growth trend

Rapid increase in export volume:

The export volume is 270000 vehicles in 2023, and will exceed 400000 vehicles in 2024, covering more than 160 countries and regions worldwide.

The Guiyang base exported 142 units from January to March 2026, a year-on-year increase of 1.6 times; Shanghai exported over 20000 vehicles from January to November 2025, a year-on-year increase of over 100%.

Clear policy driven:

Starting from February 2024, the export of second-hand cars will be fully transformed from a pilot system to a filing system, and the entry threshold for enterprises will be lowered.

Multiple regions, such as Shanghai, Guangdong, and Tianjin, have introduced special plans with the goal of exporting 50000 vehicles from Shanghai by 2027 and establishing export bases in many parts of the country.

Optimistic long-term goals:

The industry generally believes that with a car ownership of over 400 million and the world's largest annual production and sales scale, it is expected to achieve an annual export of 500000 to 2 million vehicles from 2028 to 2030.

2、 Core driving force

Adequate vehicle supply:

The release of a large number of high-quality vehicles with a lifespan of 3-5 years and a mileage of around 50000 kilometers, such as "trade in", retirement of ride hailing/rental services, and personal exchanges.

Strong overseas demand:

Left steering countries such as Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East (approximately 117) have strong demand for cost-effective fuel vehicles and new energy vehicles.

The UAE imported 299600 Chinese cars from January to August 2025, ranking first on the import list; From January to July 2025, the share of Chinese used cars in Russia will jump from 3% to 16%.

Explosion of new energy exports:

BYD, Ideal and other Chinese brand new energy used cars have a significant premium in Indonesia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and other places (such as Indonesia reaching a 40% premium).

The proportion of new energy used car exports in Shanghai will rapidly increase by 2025, with some platforms aiming for non zero kilometer vehicles to account for over 90%.

Mature industrial chain:

Shanghai, Guangzhou and other places have built an integrated export ecosystem of complete vehicles, spare parts, and after-sales services, integrating resources such as testing, logistics, finance, and overseas warehouses.