10:51 am, October 22, 2026
Almost two thirds of used car buyers do not trust dealers, amid major concerns over hidden and undisclosed damage.
That is according to new research commissioned by Cazoo as part of its ongoing ‘Honestly, Finally’ campaign designed at building bridges between customers and the motor trade.
The study polled 2,025 buyers, finding that only 35.5% of used car buyers trust second-hand car dealers.
Meanwhile, almost half (48%) were neither trusting nor distrustful of dealers, while 16.5% said they did not trust them.
Hidden faults or undisclosed damage topped the list of buyer concerns, cited by 68% of respondents.
Unclear vehicle histories were the next biggest worry, mentioned by 45%, followed by being overcharged (41%) and pushy sales tactics (36%).
A quarter of buyers also raised concerns about poor aftersales support (25.5%) and hidden fees or finance terms (25%).
Elsewhere, 54% of respondents said they would expect friction or difficult negotiations during the buying process, even before a sale is agreed.
Younger buyers aged 18 to 24 were the most likely to anticipate a difficult experience.
Asked what dealers could do to build trust, 61% said making full vehicle history reports more readily available would help.
Independent vehicle inspections or warranties were cited by 42% of respondents, alongside clear no-haggle pricing. Verified customer reviews were also highlighted by 40%.
Almost a third (32%) said trade body accreditation would help reassure them, while 18% pointed to photographs or videos of dealerships.
Lucy Tugby, chief marketing officer at Cazoo, said: ‘Our latest Consumer Insight Panel identifies the role dealers can play in recognising how trust can address the pain points experienced by many used car buyers.
‘Time and again we see how the best performing used car dealers are the ones with processes in place to ensure vehicles are described accurately and sold with independent inspections and warranties.
‘Through our “Honestly, Finally” commitment, we support these practices by working closely with our dealer partners to make the car selling process more transparent.’
The findings show a growing gap between customer and dealer expectations.
A separate Car Dealer survey, conducted with Cazoo, recently found that 68.5% of dealer readers had seen unreasonable customer behaviour towards staff increase over the previous year.
While consumers cite hidden faults and unclear vehicle histories as major concerns, nearly half of dealers surveyed said they sometimes or often encountered customers arriving at their showrooms ready for confrontation.