The sleepy Hertfordshire town of Letchworth offers the best value used cars of anywhere in the entire country, new data has revealed.
Analysis by AA Motors studied areas all over the UK in order to compile a top 20 list of towns and cities that offer used car buyers the best value for money.
The firm’s experts took into account a combination of factors including age, price and mileage before coming up with the final list.
Topping the chart was Letchworth, which was boosted by the fact it offers the youngest average used cars, at 3.3-years-old.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the town also had the lowest average mileage at 22,437.
Following closely overall were Chester and Newport, as well as the Essex town of Harlow, which came top in last year’s poll.
The top five was completed by Portsmouth on the south coast, which finished narrowly ahead of Basingstoke in Hampshire.
Luton was found to be home to the cheapest used vehicles in the UK at £11,649 on average, but still missed out on a place on the value for money list due to high average mileage and greater age.
James Fairclough, CEO of AA Cars, said: ‘As the cost of living crisis squeezes everyone’s disposable income, shopping around to find the best deal on a big ticket item like a car has never been more important.
‘Thankfully the average prices of second-hand cars are starting to cool. With prices varying across the country, it has never been easier to search for the very best deals, wherever they are, by using an online marketplace like AA Cars.
‘You no longer need to limit your search to your local area either, as many dealerships now also offer vehicle delivery services. Consumers can also use the AA Cars Delivery Service to arrange for a car to be sent straight to their door.
‘The great advantages of the second-hand car market when budgets are tight are the abundance of choice and variation in price.
‘For those wanting to ensure their purchase really does offer the best value, we always recommend that buyers organise a pre-purchase vehicle inspection to make sure they can drive away with peace of mind that there are no hidden faults that could cost money down the line.
‘You can also consider taking out a warranty to provide further reassurance that you will be covered if your car requires any unexpected repairs.’
The full top 20 can be found below:
Overall rank |
Location |
Average age |
Age ranking (out of 300) |
Average mileage |
Mileage ranking (out of 90) |
Average price |
Price ranking (out of 90) |
1 |
Letchworth |
3.3 |
1 |
22,437 |
1 |
£19,748 |
61 |
2 |
Chester |
3.9 |
8 |
28,696 |
14 |
£18,496 |
47 |
3 |
Newport (Wales) |
4.2 |
22 |
29,050 |
15 |
£17,112 |
32 |
4 |
Harlow |
4 |
15 |
28,499 |
12 |
£18,322 |
46 |
5 |
Portsmouth |
3.9 |
11 |
27,404 |
6 |
£19,769 |
63 |
6 |
Basingstoke |
4 |
13 |
25,740 |
3 |
£20,098 |
67 |
7 |
Crewe |
4 |
14 |
27,405 |
7 |
£19,869 |
65 |
8 |
Belfast |
3.9 |
7 |
32,419 |
35 |
£18,260 |
45 |
9 |
Huddersfield |
4.7 |
40 |
31,364 |
29 |
£15,450 |
19 |
10 |
Aberdeen |
3.7 |
4 |
25,959 |
4 |
£23,804 |
84 |
11 |
Cambridge |
3.5 |
2 |
26,616 |
5 |
£24,508 |
85 |
12 |
Guildford |
3.5 |
3 |
22,647 |
2 |
£25,283 |
87 |
13 |
Bury St. Edmunds |
4.5 |
31 |
31,425 |
30 |
£17,381 |
33 |
14 |
Dundee |
3.7 |
5 |
27,499 |
9 |
£22,427 |
81 |
15 |
Swansea |
4.4 |
30 |
30,614 |
23 |
£18,036 |
42 |
16 |
Blackpool |
4.2 |
20 |
30,479 |
21 |
£18,943 |
55 |
17 |
Peterborough |
3.9 |
10 |
27,541 |
10 |
£21,320 |
77 |
18 |
Barnsley |
4.8 |
44 |
34,376 |
44 |
£14,690 |
13 |
19 |
Brentford |
4.1 |
16 |
28,669 |
13 |
£20,490 |
72 |
20 |
Bridgend |
4.3 |
24 |
33,119 |
39 |
£17,706 |
39 |