Cheapest and Most Expensive Locations to Buy a Used Car Revealed
We all want to save money on our next used car, and it turns out that the location in which the car is purchased has a significant impact on the price we end up paying.
A recent report by ATS Euromaster – covering the 2019 used car market from Q1 to Q3 – shows how a few miles between purchase locations can equate to several thousands of pounds worth of savings when buying a used car.
It turns out it pays to live up north!
The top five cheapest locations for used cars in the UK are…
The ATS team analysed public listings between October and December to get their findings.
Excluding Gloucester and Wellingborough, it really does pay off to go as far north as Scotland to make a purchase.
The five cheapest locations to purchase a used car in order, were:
1. Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland
2. Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland
3. Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland
4. Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England
5. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England
With the five most expensive places being:
1. Chelmsford, Essex, England
2. Orgreave, South Yorkshire, England
3. Chatham, Kent, England
4. Winsford, Cheshire, England
5. Acton, London, England
You might start to wonder, what exactly is the difference in price? How much am saving – just a few hundred pounds?
If you’re only saving a few pennies, it’s probably not worth the commute from one end of the country to another. But if you manage to bag a deal like the one below its entirely worth it.
The Tale of Two Series
A pair of BMW 3 series with the same mileage (35,000 on the clock) had a price differential of more than £5,000, simply because one was bought in Scotland (Kirkcaldy) and the other in a small market town in Merseyside (Newton-le-Willows).
To put things into perspective, there are only 250 miles between these two locations.
In effect, you can save thousands of pounds simply because you look for a second-hand bargain in an area that isn’t London, or in the southern reaches of the country.
What’s the most popular second-hand car brand in the UK?
Are you looking for reliability and pizzazz? The UK overwhelmingly favoured one brand above all others: the Ford.
The Ford dominates the rankings; holding the majority share of the sales. The fuel-efficient but stylish Fiesta is in first place and the versatile, sporty Focus in second.
Even with something as ubiquitous as the Ford, location matters. To nab the Fiesta, you’re going to want to avoid areas like Billericay, Essex, and look out for quiet towns like Layer de la Haye in Colchester.
Unsurprisingly, London has the greatest number of Fiestas on sale at any one time, but it pays to avoid the big metropoles if you can help it. A greater number of buyers equals a dearer asking price.
What else stands out?
Some final great findings from the informative ATS Euromaster infographic include:
• The fact that diesel sells best (54%) followed by petrol (44%), hybrid (1.5%) and electric in last place. This, despite the 2035 scrapping of petrol and diesel-powered cars.
• Hatchbacks are, on average, the cheapest and most commonly sold car on the market. 4x4s are the most expensive.
• A BMW 3 Series has great longevity, retaining 23% of its value after 140,000 miles.
So there you have it the UK used car market in 2019. With any luck, you’ve got the information you need to grab a bargain of a lifetime.
