France's used electric car market cooled in the third quarter of 2026, and the two Teslas in its top five went in opposite directions. The quarterly used-EV barometer that Avere-France published on 9 October with AAA Data and the trade body Mobilians counts 61,349 used battery-electric cars sold in metropolitan France between July and September. That is 15% fewer than the 72,243 of the record second quarter, and 40% more than the 43,956 of the third quarter of 2025.
The top 10
The barometer counts only battery-electric cars, so the Peugeot 208, Fiat 500 and Renault Twingo below are their electric versions. The top three did not change. The Model 3 held third with a fall of about 10%, smaller than the market's 15%. The Model Y climbed from seventh to fifth with a 5% rise. Only the Model Y and the Fiat 500 grew.
| Rank | Model | Q2 2026 | Q3 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peugeot 208 II | 6,025 | 4,313 |
| 2 | Renault Zoe | 6,250 | 3,935 |
| 3 | Tesla Model 3 | 4,146 | 3,712 |
| 4 | Fiat 500 | 3,653 | 3,679 |
| 5 | Tesla Model Y | 2,630 | 2,770 |
| 6 | Renault Mégane E-Tech | 3,466 | 2,684 |
| 7 | Dacia Spring | 3,477 | 2,661 |
| 8 | Peugeot 2008 II | 2,189 | 2,062 |
| 9 | Renault Twingo III | 2,321 | 2,011 |
| 10 | MG4 | 1,847 | 1,335 |
Together, the two Teslas account for 6,482 sales, or 10.6% of the quarter's used-EV market by our calculation.
Large electric SUVs now sell in under three months
A used electric D-segment SUV now sells in 83 days on average, down from 137 days in the third quarter of 2025. A combustion SUV of the same size takes 141 days. AAA Data says the improvement "seems notably linked to the Tesla Model Y", which has been sold with aggressive pricing on the new-car market since the start of 2026.
Across all used EVs, the average resale time fell to 134 days, from 138 in the second quarter. For combustion cars it rose to 147 days.
Recent used EVs cost only 5% less than new
Between January and September 2026, a used EV under three years old cost €33,672 on average. That is 12% less than the €38,190 that private buyers paid on average for a new EV. Once the CEE "coup de pouce" bonus on a new EV is deducted, the new-car figure falls to €35,543 and the gap shrinks to 5%. Prices of recent used EVs have risen 6% since January, to €35,461 in September.
The used-EV bonus starts small
September was the first month of France's CEE bonus on used EVs. Of the 22,428 used EVs registered that month, AAA Data counts 10,603, or 47%, as potentially eligible: fully electric, first registered in France between 2017 and 2023, and bought from a professional. The data cannot check the battery rule, which requires a state of health of at least 80%, or a remaining range of at least 80% of the homologated figure or 200 km. Avere-France puts the bonus at about €350, says the amount still carries little weight, and will propose raising it from 2027, when cars returning from leases will fill dealer stock.
What it means for Tesla owners and buyers
Private buyers drove the quarterly fall. Their purchases dropped 18%, while purchases by motor-trade professionals rose 90%, mostly through short-term rental companies, whose leased acquisitions went from 94 cars to 1,689. For a Model Y seller, the SUV figure is the useful one: the segment now turns over faster than its combustion equivalent. For a buyer, a used EV under three years old now costs only about 5% less than an average new EV once the new-car bonus is counted. In Germany, Aampere's first EV Resale Index found that the Model 3 and Model Y kept the most value after three years.