CHENNAI: Delhi’s experiment with odd-even car numbers has had an unexpected fallout – an increase in demand for used cars. According to used car portals, the Delhi-NCR region has seen double the national average of sales growth riding on the demand for odd or even number plates. Market experts also say this trend will become more pronounced if the ‘odd-even’ experiment becomes mandatory forever.Nagendra Palle, CEO of Mahindra First Choice Wheels, said, “We have already started seeing a sharp surge in volumes – our volumes are up around 20% in Delhi. This is double the national average. Generally used car volumes are up 10-12% riding on improved business environment and upbeat sentiment among dealer channels. But Delhi region has seen double that increase which, we are certain, is due to the odd-even rule.”Sources say the Delhi market – with a car pool of around 28 lakh vehicles – is a mature market and any spurt in used car sales has to be because customers are opting for used vehicles as the second or third car. “There are two aspects to this trend,” said Palle. “First people who have two cars already are replacing one or they are buying a second car and a used car is a good fit.”Experts say that ‘good fit’ comes from the fact that used car number plates are known to the buyer. Vinay Sanghi, CEO, Cartrade.com, said, “We have seen a sharp increase in demand in the Delhi market because clearly people want to make sure that the number plate they get is the one they want. That’s why used cars are a better bet compared to new cars where the number is unknown and this is clearly reflected in the sales curve.”Traditionally the north is not the fastest growing used car market at all. According to a February 2016 survey by Deloitte India, a majority of the used car customers are first-time buyers with 78% of them being from South and West India. North has the lowest level of first-time buyers at 62%. Among these, a high numbers of customers have upgraded from owning a two-wheeler to a car.Experts also say this trend could further fuel demand in used cars if the government cracks down on new car registrations or extends the odd-even scheme to make it a “way of life”. Vyomesh Kapasi, CEO, Kotak Mahindra Prime, said, “So far the odd-even rule has been introduced in Delhi twice but if the customer feels this is the trend and authorities use it more, there will be more demand for used cars. If this becomes a way of life, it will push up used car sales.”That’s music for the used car industry which has seen phenomenal growth in sharp contrast to new car sales. The pre-owned car market in India has been expanding quickly and has almost doubled in the last 4 years. It went from 0.45million units in 2013 to crossing 1 million units in 2015.