Used automobiles are an enormous trade within the UK – so why are most of us knowingly accepting dangerous affords for our automobiles?
It may be laborious to know the best way to get one of the best worth potential when promoting your automobile – and, in line with analysis printed by Motorway, two thirds of UK drivers merely settle for that they may at all times lose cash.
Nonetheless, it doesn’t should be a tough or gradual course of to get your greatest value from a verified supplier.
You will get your greatest value inside 24 hours once you promote on Motorway – and it might all be finished out of your cellphone.
Do you actually know your automobile’s worth?
Motorway affords immediate, free valuations on their web site, based mostly on stay gross sales knowledge from their platform. That signifies that all bids and gross sales for comparable autos are considered when calculating your valuation.
All you must do is create a free account, and enter your reg and mileage to see what your automobile may fetch. And, with greater than half of UK drivers believing that their automobile at all times decreases in worth, it’s positively price checking it slightly than guessing at your automobile’s depreciation.
If you wish to go even additional and observe your automobile’s worth because it adjustments over time, it’s also possible to use their Automotive Worth Tracker.
As soon as once more, you merely create a free account and enter your reg and mileage, and also you’ll see historic valuations in your car over a two-year graph, so you’ll be able to perceive how briskly your automobile is altering in worth, and whether or not there are occasions when its worth holds, will increase, or decreases.
Motorway’s Automotive Worth Tracker helps you perceive not simply what your automobile is price as you test it, however how its worth is altering over time, serving to you to plan to promote for one of the best value.
The best way to promote your automobile at one of the best time?
What does promoting your automobile at one of the best time imply?
For some, it means promoting their automobile as soon as they’ve now not acquired as a lot use for it, akin to promoting a household automobile as soon as the children go away residence, or promoting a runabout following a home transfer or life-style change that makes it redundant.
For others, it would imply promoting as soon as they’re in optimistic fairness of their finance settlement, and might make a bit of cash on their automobile by promoting it early, slightly than following the balloon fee and trade-in choices that their lender will counsel.
By and enormous, it’s not possible to foretell automobile values with out getting an correct or dependable valuation from a trusted supplier. Promoting at one of the best time can imply checking your valuation till you’re sure you’ve acquired good worth out of your automobile, and might nonetheless promote it for a powerful value.
There can be an enormous quantity of variation from automobile to automobile as to when this can be – for some autos, you may even see a very good time at three or 4 years outdated, as soon as the value has stabilised after its preliminary drop in worth. For others, it’ll nonetheless pay to promote at six, seven, and even eight years outdated, particularly in case your automobile is low-mileage and in good situation.
What impacts your automobile’s worth?
In fact, your automobile’s age, mileage, and situation are main components affecting the worth you’ll be able to fetch for it. Nonetheless, you won’t realise that some cost-effective enhancements may considerably enhance your automobile’s worth:
Inside
Ensuring your gentle furnishings are clear and contemporary makes your automobile really feel newer and extra pristine. Contemplate changing cheaper components akin to your ground mats, and endeavor any repairs essential to leatherwork.
Exterior
Fixing scratches and small dents goes a great distance in preserving your car’s worth. Even when it’s regular put on and tear, the nearer you will get your automobile seeking to new as potential will make it stand out from different automobiles in the marketplace with the identical age and mileage.
Service historical past
By sustaining your automobile nicely, and fixing small faults and put on and tear shortly to nip bigger points within the bud, you’ll see your worth keep excessive in comparison with comparable fashions. Preserve proof of your whole service historical past so you’ll be able to display you’ve taken excellent care of your automobile, and your purchaser can have extra belief within the worth of your car.
Clear Air Zone compliance
When you can’t change your automobile’s gas sort, or engine score, promoting to a nationwide community of competing sellers will give your car a greater likelihood of securing a powerful worth even when it’s non-compliant and you reside in a CAZ akin to Larger London’s ULEZ. Compliance impacts your working prices, together with in your street tax band (that are altering in 2025) so it’s key to not get caught with native pricing when you’ll be able to promote country-wide.
How does Motorway work?
If you promote your automobile on Motorway, you profit from a totally on-line expertise.
Motorway’s app makes profiling your automobile fast and straightforward, akin to with its photograph assistant for taking skilled grade photographs.
After securing your immediate valuation, you profile your automobile out of your cellphone utilizing the Motorway app, out there on the App Retailer and Google Play Retailer. Fairly than having to jot down out a prolonged description as you’d on a classifieds website, you merely choose solutions to questions on your automobile’s spec and situation, and add photographs.
Together with your profiling in place, your automobile or van can enter the web every day sale, which runs nearly daily of the yr. As soon as your car is within the sale, the 5,000+ verified sellers in Motorway’s community have the chance to make their greatest provide. On the finish of the web every day sale, Motorway will ship you the highest provide acquired in your car.
If you settle for your greatest provide, all that’s left to do is prepare free residence assortment together with your purchaser, who will come to your house or work on a pre-arranged day. Your purchaser will test over your automobile, make fee straight into your checking account (and clear your finance stability together with your lender, if relevant), and drive the automobile away.