THE economic downturn, coupled with greater awareness of greener motoring, means used car buying trends are moving with the times.

According to an analysis of checks done with HPI during 2010, nearly 40 per cent of all the cars it checked were small family cars and superminis, reflecting the demand for fuel efficiency and lower motoring costs for both families and those looking for a reasonably powerful run-around.

HPI urged used car buyers to take advantage of readily available information on fuel and efficiency ratings for used cars to make a well-informed buying decision.

In a possible reaction to the poor weather conditions over the past year, 4x4s have also experienced a resurgence, coming in third as the most popular type of vehicle checked with HPI, followed closely by compact executives. “Our figures show that mid-range 1500 to 1599 engines are the most popular for small family cars, with around 26 per cent of checks done on these,” said Nicola Johnson, consumer services manager.

“However more powerful 1900 to 1999 engines ran a close second in the small family car bracket, coming in at 25 per cent of checks conducted, for HPI.

“Engine size for the supermini category is more of a mixed bag, with the smaller 1200 to 1299 engine size proving the most popular, followed by the smaller 1100 to 1199 and larger 1500 to 1599cc models.