Used cars in Italy vs Germany — same car, same price, more kilometres
Comparable used cars cost the same in Italy as in Germany.
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Comparable used cars cost the same in Italy as in Germany. We matched cars on make, model, model year, fuel, gearbox, power and mileage band, all sold by one online used-car retailer in both countries (adverts visible 28 Aug – 3 Oct 2026). The Italian asking price was 0.9% lower (95% CI −2.8% to +1.0%; 74 matched cells, 194 Italian and 194 German cars). Two replications agree: +1.5% (−1.7% to +5.2%) in a carmaker group's approved-used programme, and +1.3% (−1.5% to +3.7%) among dealers on a pan-European marketplace (November 2025). None shows the 10–30% German discount that Italian buying guides claim.
Full study (Italian): carlytics.eu/it/research/auto-usate-italia-germania-prezzi-chilometri
What differs is mileage. At the same model, year and engine, cars for sale in Italy show 18.3% more kilometres (95% CI +11.8% to +25.0%; 833 vs 1,234 cars), and 26.4% more in the approved-used programme. At the same model, year and fuel, Italian stock also averages 15 hp less, which creates an illusory 6% "Italian discount" when trims are not matched.
No bunching below 100,000 km among 23,037 Italian dealer and approved-used cars (126 cars at 99,000–99,999 km vs 136 at 100,000–100,999).
Method. Distinct VINs per country, placeholder VINs excluded, model years 2014–2025, 1,000–250,000 km. Hypotheses pre-registered; threshold test on all model years. Cluster bootstrap CIs over matched cells, Wilson CIs for proportions. Professional sellers' asking prices only; private sales and trade auctions not measured.