The trend of cars without a permit is also observed in the second-hand market. Leboncoin, the leading platform for sales between individuals in France, notes a 34% increase in advertising carried out in two years. In total, the site has 3,545, up from 2,649 in 2021. This market, of course, remains a niche market when compared to the more than 725,000 “licensed” car ads.
As in the new license-free car market, specialized French brands are the most represented: leboncoin thus registers +39% of Aixam announcements between 2023 and 2021, +21% of Ligier and +10% from Microcar.
The used Citroën AMI superstar
In electric models, the Citroën AMI has confirmed its leadership since its launch in 2020. The number of announcements has quadrupled in two years, going from a few dozen to 150 today. A success reinforced by the marketing of the limited edition “Ami Buggy”, whose few models offered for resale reached record prices on the platform.
The Renault Twizy 45, marketed since 2012 and therefore its production was due to end in September 2023, is also receiving a second life on leboncoin, with +80% of the ads presented in the last two years.
A success of these two two-seater electric models that the platform links with announcements about the implementation of ZFE in the main cities of France. The lowering of the legal age, from 16 to 14, to drive without a license since 2014 has also contributed to the development of this segment in recent years.
Record price increases
On the price side: cars without a license do not escape inflation. In the last two years, leboncoin registers an increase of between 10.5% for Aixam, up to 10,692 euros on average in 2023, and just over 14% for Ligier (11,003 euros) and Chatenet (11,419 euros).
But it is in the Citroën AMI where we see the most impressive increase: with an average advertising price that goes from 5,516 euros in 2021 to 8,716 euros, or an increase of 58%.
Among the departments where used cars without a license are most popular, we find Var (+88% searches between 2021 and 2023), Bouches-du-Rhône (+55%) and Rhône (+8.5%).
A new unlicensed market that is losing steam?
Following a sharp increase in sales since 2020 and the launch of the Citroën AMI, the market for unlicensed cars fell 4.7% during the first five months of 2023, according to AAA Data.
While Ligier has just launched its first 100% electric model, the increase in prices linked to this transition towards permit-free electric vehicles seems to cause a drop in volumes: “in all likelihood, the permit-free vehicle (VSP) market should not experience significant new growth in the short term. In fact, the introduction of electric VSPs on the market cannot be enough, because, as with new private vehicles (VAN), this leads to an increase in the price of the products, which de facto eliminates a certain number of potential buyers,” underlines AAA Data.
Source: BFM TV
