The Automotive Update: Residual value winners and European used-car outlook
17 October 2025
Which vehicles triumphed at this year’s Residual Value Awards? Can European used-car markets improve in 2026? Are automotive industry supply chains starting to strain? Autovista24 editor Tom Geggus reviews the week’s headlines in The Automotive Update podcast.
In this episode, Autovista24 reveals the 2025 Residual Value Award winners. Then, as economic pressure builds, a new webinar explored the outlook for the European used-car market. Finally, a look at how concerns are building around semiconductor and rare earth metal supply chains.
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European residual value winners
The winners of the 2025 Residual Value Awards were announced this week. Champions of the eight categories were calculated using Autovista Group analysis and insights, powered by data from across 17 markets.
German premium brands performed especially well this year, with many marques from the country collecting awards.
BMW Group took home three titles, with two awarded to Mini models and one to a car from BMW. Mercedes-Benz celebrated two wins, while Audi and Porsche were victorious in one category each. The only non-German carmaker to enjoy success was Dacia.
European used-car market outlook
This week, Autovista Group hosted a webinar titled The road ahead: Residual value trends and the next market shift.
The panel discussed Europe’s uncertain economic environment. Inflation is rising due to geopolitical tensions and conflicts, while the consumer price index is still increasing.
This environment has negatively impacted the automotive industry. Stagnating economies have triggered affordability issues and reduced investment. Ongoing tariff negotiations have also caused delays in investment and supply.
Meanwhile, a massive electric vehicle (EV) push is putting pressure on manufacturers to become more profitable.
Pressure on residual values (RVs), expressed as a percentage of the new-car list price (%RVs), are forecast to persist across Europe’s major used-car markets. In most of these locations, 36-month-old cars are expected to suffer up to a 1.5% fall in %RVs by the end of 2026.
However, these declines would represent a slowdown compared to this year, where %RVs have fallen at a sharper rate.
Passenger cars aged 36 months or older are expected to be affected more than younger vehicles. This matches 2025 trends, where market pressure on three-to-four-year-old models continued to build.
Looking at EV powertrains, the RVs of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are still struggling. Meanwhile, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are performing much better.
European supply chain in crisis?
Automotive industry bodies have raised concerns over supply chains. ACEA highlighted the potential problems that could arise from an interruption of Nexperia semiconductor provisions. Without them, European vehicle suppliers could see production grind to a halt.
The industry has access to the same chips from other suppliers. However, homologating new suppliers for specific components and building up production could take several months, ACEA said. Current stocks of Nexperia chips are only expected to last for a few weeks.
Elsewhere, ANFIA flagged fears over rare earth metal exports from China, as reported by Reuters. The industry body said that restrictions on these materials could have a big impact on the European automotive industry.
