According to an analysis of big data from the used car market by Encar.com for 2022, initial interest was in sedans, but actual purchase intentions leaned towards SUVs and RVs.

Encar.com analyzed data from the ‘Top 10 Car Searches’ and ‘Car Type Purchase Inquiries’ to identify consumer trends in the used car market throughout 2022. This data was based on over one million used cars traded on the Encar website and mobile app this year.

The most searched vehicle type this year was sedans. In terms of specific models, the top-ranked domestic car was the Hyundai Grandeur, while among imported cars, the BMW 5 Series took the top spot.

The second most searched domestic car was the Kia Carnival, followed by the Sonata in third place, and in fourth was the Hyundai Avante, with the Genesis G80 in fifth. The sixth to tenth positions included the Kia K7, K5, Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Hyundai Genesis, respectively.

Among imported cars, sedans dominated from first to seventh in search rankings. The second to seventh places respectively went to the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, S-Class, BMW 3 Series, C-Class, BMW 7 Series, and Audi A6. The eighth rank went to the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, and the ninth and tenth ranks were held by the BMW X5 and BMW GranTurismo, respectively.

While initial interest was high for sedans, the purchasing inquiries—indicating actual buying intentions—showed that both domestic and imported cars favored SUVs and RVs the most.

The proportion of purchasing inquiries for domestic SUVs/RVs accounted for 32.58% of the total. Following this, the intermediate cars—including the Sonata and K5—made up 19.57%, while the flagship sedans like the Grandeur, G80, and K7 accounted for 19.35%. Sub-compact cars held a share of 12.49%. Additionally, the small car market maintained steady demand, with subcompact cars slightly surpassing them at 8.37%.

Imported cars also showcased the highest share of purchasing inquiries for SUVs/RVs at 30.81%. Following this, intermediate-sized cars with popular models like the E-Class, 5 Series, and A6 recorded a share of 25.61%.

Large cars—containing models such as the S-Class, 7 Series, and ES300h—accounted for 14.02% of inquiries, while sub-compact cars typically including compact sedans like the C-Class and 3 Series accounted for 12.60%. Furthermore, imported cars with many high-priced sports car models recorded a relatively high inquiry share of 11.08%.

Moreover, when examining actual purchase proportions, domestic cars had the highest representation of SUVs, while for imported vehicles, the high demand for popular sedans like the 5 Series and E-Class showed that the share of intermediate cars was slightly higher than that of SUVs.

An Encar.com representative stated, “While the popularity of representative mid-sized sedans like the Grandeur, 5 Series, and E-Class remains high, we can see a significant SUV trend in the used car market as well.” They added, “With many new SUV models expected to launch next year, the market share of SUVs/RVs in the used car scene is anticipated to grow even further.”

Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr