Microcars were extremely popular 10-15 years ago. And they still are, a new study shows. The cars are not losing any value, but the owners don't want to sell.
Microcars are still a hit on the Danish used car market. According to DR , the reason is a remarkably low loss in value.
Models such as the VW Up, Skoda Citygo, Seat Mii, Toyota Aygo, Peugeot 107, Citroën C1, Fiat 500 and Ford Ka still dominate the street scene, even though several of the cars have already been discontinued.
In fact, only the Fiat 500 is still produced.
During the period from 2007 to 2018, when microcars were at their peak, you could buy the cheapest models for as little as 60,000 kroner. For example, the Ford Ka, built on the same platform as the Fiat 500, was sold for.
However, interest in the cars has not disappeared, even though the assembly lines have long since been dismantled. The result is a used market with unusually high prices. Because the owners actually don't want to get rid of them. The cars, that is.
Microcars are only disappearing very slowly from Denmark.
Normally, drivers should expect their cars to lose up to 50 percent of their value within the first three years.
But today, the loss in value for the somewhat older microcars is only around 10 to 20 percent. Even for eight-to-ten-year-old models, the loss in value is minimal, says market analyst Jan Lang from BilBasen to DR.
The platform currently has 3,000 microcars for sale, compared to 10,000 four years ago. Despite their popularity, the cars are also disappearing from the roads.
It was a change in the registration tax that made small city cars extremely popular back in 2007. For quite a few Danes, the change actually made it economically attractive to own a microcar.
When the tax was eliminated in 2018, interest in importing microcars declined and they almost disappeared from the new car market. However, a few models were still sold.
For example, Mitsubishi kept the little Spacestar alive until 2024. At that time, the car was 12 years old, even though it could be ordered factory new in Denmark.
Helle Aagesen from Holstebro is satisfied with her Fiat 500.
"I'd never had such a small car before, but it was nice, and I don't want to get rid of it," she tells DR.
She is also very satisfied that, in the broadest perspective, the market price is reasonable. She hopes that this will give her a higher trade-in price when the car moves on.
For many Danish microcar owners, a replacement may be closer than they think. By 2026, industry experts and analysts expect the market to be flooded with cheaper electric cars.
The EU is pressuring car brands to produce far more electric cars.
Even though drivers outside Scandinavia don't necessarily want them. Read more about it here .
