Sales of ex fleet and lease vehicles through the Epyx 1Link platform have increased beyond pre-lockdown levels as the vehicle remarketing sector reaches a sustainable cycle.

A buoyant post-lockdown period has led trade buyers to replenish stock levels and acquire more vehicles, accroding to Epyx.

Major fleets and leasing companies have also increased the number of vehicle disposals via the 1Link platform, returning a rhythm to the remarketing industry.

Debbie Fox (pictured), commercial director at Epyx, said: “When dealers first reopened a few weeks ago, there was still very little activity on the platform because they needed to sell stock that they had been holding for several months.

“However, most have had a very buoyant immediate post-lockdown period and now need to replenish their stock levels, so we are starting to see that feeding through into increased demand.

“Certainly, over the last week, sales volumes on 1link Disposal Network are ramping up and beating the kinds of levels that we saw in March before the crisis started to really bite.”

Epyx’s 1link Disposal Network is used by major fleets and leasing companies to sell cars and vans to a community of more than 3,000 independent and franchise traders.

“The supply side is also beginning to improve,” added Fox, “with fleets that provide stock onto the platform entering into relatively routine defleeting. A rhythm to remarketing activity is emerging.”

Fox said there were signs that traders were looking generally to source more stock online following the coronavirus crisis with more than 200 new dealers requesting to join the 1Link platform.