The West Midlands saw a slight drop in used car sales in the first three months of 2012 compared to 2011.
Almost 170,000 used cars were sold in the region in the first quarter, a drop of 0.46 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2011.
But this was an increase of 16.39 per cent compared to the final quarter of 2011, according to the Experian Used Car Index.
It also reported that UK used car sales hit the highest volume in quarter one this year since 2009, with 1,741,860 sold from January to March 2012, compared to 1,813,588 units in the same period three years ago.
Andrew Ballard, principle consultant at Experian Automotive, said: “We are pleased to be able to show uplifts in used car sales across the board as well as identifying high performing categories.
“These include the increasing popularity of the MPV while environmental factors and the wider availability of alternative fueled vehicles seem to be driving growth of electric and hybrid models.
“By using this type of analytical sales data, spotting trends is made easier for dealers who can tailor their stock mix according to both their region and also the current sales environment.”
The volume of UK used car sales for the first quarter of 2012 grew 14.7 per cent increase compared to the last quarter of 2011 and saw a 0.2 per cent increase compared to the same quarter in 2011.
With 78,812 units sold, the Ford Focus was the best selling model in quarter one 2012.
All car segments had an uplift in sales compared to the last quarter with the exception of the 4x4 segment, which includes the Range Rover Sport and BMW X5, which saw a 1.3 per cent drop.
The MPV segment, which includes the Vauxhall Safira and Renault Scenic, saw the biggest rise in sales with 103,415 units sold, a 26.7 per cent increase compared to last quarter.
In terms of fuel type, the electric category clearly led the upturn with both year-on-year and quarterly increases of 29 per cent and 19.2 per cent respectively.
