The collapse of zero-kilometer used cars

In recent years, a peculiar phenomenon has emerged in the Chinese used - car market: a batch of nearly new cars with a mileage of less than 50 kilometers are circulating at low prices as used cars. Most of these vehicles carry the new - energy label, and their prices are 15% to 30% lower than those of the same new models in 4S stores, quickly becoming the new darlings of the market.

If a car originally priced at 200,000 yuan is now sold for 140,000 yuan and is brand - new with zero mileage, presumably most consumers would buy it without hesitation, and dealers could also achieve a remarkable sales record. However, recently, with the negative reviews of zero - mileage used cars, the Ministry of Commerce held a symposium and ordered the regulation and rectification of related irregularities.

Why does this seemingly win - win situation hide risks? Where do these "used cars" with actual zero mileage come from and where do they go?

The False Blockbuster on the Rise

Open any major used - car platform and enter the keyword "zero kilometers", and dozens of pages of "nearly new cars" will instantly appear: the official - priced 380,000 - yuan XPeng X9 is marked at over 330,000 yuan, the 280,000 - yuan Zeekr MIX is sold for less than 230,000 yuan, and the price of the Nezha L is even directly halved.

These are the so - called zero - mileage used cars: the car film is unpeeled, the odometer shows almost zero, but the price is incredibly low. They look like new cars, but legally, they are already used cars.

Data from the China Automobile Dealers Association shows that in the national used - car market in 2024, vehicles with a registration date of ≤ 3 months and a mileage of ≤ 50 kilometers accounted for 12.7%, and the proportion of new - energy models exceeded 60%. The abnormal phenomenon of selling new cars as used ones has become even more severe in 2025.

How did these zero - mileage used cars appear and why are they so cheap?

Automobile manufacturers face considerable inventory pressure and sales performance pressure. If vehicles cannot be sold quickly, they not only tie up funds during storage but may also continue to depreciate due to market changes. To avoid risks, many car dealers have to adopt a fast - in, fast - out strategy when dealing with new - energy vehicles. Even with meager profits, they dare not hold the vehicles for too long.

For unsalable models or models about to be replaced, zero - mileage used cars have become a means to quickly clear inventory and recoup funds. The specific operation process is as follows: dealers register and license the inventory vehicles in the names of employees or affiliated companies to create a false impression of "sold", helping the manufacturers complete their sales data. When actual buyers appear, these licensed new cars are then transferred as used cars.

(Photo: Recruitment of new - energy car buyers in a group chat)

In addition to inventory, automobile manufacturers and dealers also face cash - flow pressure. According to financial reports, in the first quarter of 2025, the net cash flow from operating activities of enterprises such as BAIC BluePark, Changan Automobile, and Seres was negative. Some dealers, in order to meet the sales targets set by the manufacturers and obtain high rebates, will license new cars themselves and then sell them as "used cars" at low prices. Although the profit per vehicle is reduced, they can still make a profit through manufacturer rebates, complete the sales targets, and maintain their agency qualifications.

It is worth noting that welfare policies originally intended to promote consumption have unexpectedly created an arbitrage space. In recent years, most of the subsidy policies such as "trading in old cars for new ones" introduced by the state and local governments use a fixed amount of 15,000 - 20,000 yuan. This has invisibly encouraged consumers to choose low - priced models to obtain a higher proportion of discounts, and also allowed some merchants to see an opportunity for short - term sales volume growth. Automobile manufacturers and dealers can both obtain subsidies and inflate sales data through "false transactions" of licensing first and then reselling.

When products become increasingly difficult to sell and channels can no longer absorb inventory, zero - mileage used cars have become an outlet to bypass the price system and channel deadlock.

The reason why zero - mileage used cars have become popular is that they seemingly create a "win - win" situation on the surface.

For automobile manufacturers, it enables rapid inventory clearance and on - paper sales; for dealers, they can get rebates and reduce the risk of unsold inventory; for car dealers, there are low purchase prices, high turnover, and avoidance of new - car sales targets; for consumers, it means saving tens of thousands of yuan.

But the question is, if these used cars are all beneficial and have no drawbacks, then why have their reviews declined recently?

Multiple Hidden Dangers Behind False Transactions

False prosperity is ultimately unsustainable. As the trading volume of zero - mileage used cars increases, problems are emerging like a tide.

The most fundamental reason is that they are not new cars sold through normal retail channels but used cars artificially created by automakers and dealers to inflate data.

In the capital market, beautiful sales figures mean higher stock prices, more financing, and a stronger brand effect. As for whether the cars are sold to real users or just circulated among dealers first, they don't care in the short term. However, for consumers and the market, this hides a series of problems.

The vast majority of new - energy vehicle manufacturers stipulate that the warranty for the three - electric system is only applicable to the first - owner and does not transfer with the vehicle. This means that consumers who buy zero - mileage used cars will lose the most core quality guarantee. They cannot get the battery replaced for free when it decays, and the subsequent replacement cost may be as high as tens of thousands of yuan; they have to pay for repairs when problems occur in the motor and electronic control systems; value - added services such as free maintenance and road rescue also become invalid, greatly reducing the actual value of the vehicle.

Following this are quality problems. Some dealers, in order to boost sales volume, package test - drive cars, exhibition cars, and even cars with minor transportation damage as "zero - mileage used cars". Among these vehicles, some have battery discharge and tire aging due to long - term storage; some are models that were originally for export but then sold domestically or were returned due to quality defects, which are difficult for ordinary consumers to distinguish. Moreover, the residual value of these vehicles, which are legally used cars, is usually 15% - 20% lower than that of ordinary used cars when resold, increasing the difficulty of resale.

For the market, the false supply - demand relationship disrupts the order and forms a gray circulation chain from the production end to the consumption end. First of all, automakers are indulged in the digital prosperity and neglect product quality and R & D investment, forming a vicious cycle of bad money driving out good. Further, a large number of low - priced used cars flood the market, squeezing the living space of normal used cars and new cars.

On the one hand, no matter how good the condition of the vehicles purchased by traditional used - car dealers is, they are difficult to compete with these zero - mileage, low - priced "used cars"; on the other hand, more and more consumers are holding off on buying and waiting for bargains instead of directly purchasing new cars. The price inversion between new and used cars disrupts the normal market price system and affects brand value.

This chaos in the price system not only undermines the brand's own value but may also lead to misjudgments at the national level when formulating industrial policies and allocating resources. Industry sales data is an important basis for the state to formulate automobile industry policies, plan production capacity layout, and allocate infrastructure. If these data are greatly inflated, decision - making may be misjudged, such as over - investing in some niche areas or underestimating the market acceptance of some technologies.

It can be seen that there are huge crises lurking behind the short - term benefits of zero - mileage used cars. Consumers sacrifice their core rights and interests, the new - car price system collapses, and the used - car market is also in chaos. For the market to return to healthy development, it is necessary for supervision to step in and the industry to conduct self - reflection.

End the Data Fraud and Irregularities

The essence of the zero - mileage used - car phenomenon is the inevitable result of the industry's excessive pursuit of scale expansion. When automobile manufacturers prioritize sales data over product quality and when dealers are forced to participate in data fraud for survival, the entire industry falls into a vicious cycle of increasing chaos.

Facing the chaos of zero - mileage used cars, regulatory authorities have started to take action.

In May 2025, the Ministry of Commerce held a symposium, requiring the standardization and rectification of the chaos of "zero - mileage used cars" and clearly stating that it will severely crack down on this data - inflation behavior to maintain the normal order of the automobile market.

An important direction of supervision is to establish a traceability system covering the entire life cycle of vehicles, which can completely record all links from production, sales, registration, transfer to scrapping, enabling the whole process of vehicle circulation to be traceable and queryable. At the same time, relevant departments are studying and formulating detailed rules to strictly restrict the behavior of "licensing and then reselling immediately". It is proposed that new cars need to meet a certain time or mileage after registration before they can be traded as used cars, so as to curb short - term arbitrage behavior from a institutional perspective.

The industry itself needs to bid farewell to data worship and shift from competing in sales volume to competing in quality and technology. Automobile manufacturers should abandon the "sales - volume - only" assessment method and establish a more scientific evaluation system, including indicators such as product quality, technological innovation, and customer satisfaction in the assessment scope. At the same time, automobile manufacturers should strengthen channel management, eliminate inventory - pressing behavior, and establish a more equal cooperative relationship with dealers.

Consumers need to develop more mature consumption concepts, considering not only the price but also the quality and guarantee. When buying a car, consumers should comprehensively consider the vehicle's performance, quality, after - sales service, and residual value, rather than just being attracted by the low price. At the same time, they should enhance their risk awareness, fully understand the possible loss of rights and interests brought by "zero - mileage used cars", and make rational decisions.

In fact, there are no real winners in this zero - mileage used - car frenzy. Automobile manufacturers gain a temporary bright report but lose brand credibility; dealers get short - term rebates but disrupt the price system; consumers save on the purchase price but may pay more in usage costs.

Only when the real supply - demand relationship becomes the dominant force in the market can the Chinese automobile industry get out of this carefully - planned collective fraud and usher in truly healthy development.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Brain - Hole Automobile", author: Shanhu. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.