New data from iSeeCars shows that the used Tesla Model X is selling at a remarkably fast pace. The average time a used car stays on the lot, from when the dealer gets it until it is sold, is 59 days. The figure for the Model X is 26 days.
Other Tesla models are also selling faster than most used cars. The figure for the Model Y is 35 days. The figure for the Model S is 35 days.
The Tesla figures are particularly impressive because their success runs counter to the current trend. iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer commented, “Many people assumed the recent spike in gas prices would mean a resurgence in EV demand, but hybrids have proven to be the real benefactor of rising fuel costs.”
iSeeCars used data based on 6.7 million 1- to 5-year-old used cars. It then looked at the sales figures in the first quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of this year.
An expected rise in demand for used EVs is based on a simple premise. Despite the elimination of the $7,500 federal tax credit for used EV purchases, gas prices have topped $4 and may be on their way to $5. Because of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and with Brent at $126, American drivers might start to turn away from these high gas prices.
Additionally, tens of thousands of EVs have begun to come off three-year leases. A much larger supply of used EVs should push prices down, which would be another reason Americans would consider EVs.
However, hybrids do not have the drawbacks of EVs. They do not require public charging stations; they have ranges that are hundreds of miles longer than EVs. They are not expensive to insure or repair
There is not enough evidence to show why the sales pace of used Teslas is so fast. However, for people who are concerned about gas prices, it probably doesn’t matter.