6:55 am, October 19, 2023
A worrying one-in-five used cars have suffered accident damage that is often invisible to potential buyers.
That’s according to data from a car history checking firm that’s looked into the makes and ages of used cars that are most likely to be hiding an accident.
Carvertical said that nearly 20% of the hundreds of thousands of used cars it checks every year have been damaged at some point.
Its data found used car models from Vauxhall were the most likely to have suffered damage during their lives, closely followed by Seat, Fiat and Alfa Romeo.
The company checks car damage records logged by insurance companies, as well as other sources, to build up a picture of used cars for its reports.
It also looks at the average repair costs of the used cars it checks and found that Peugeot topped the list with an average bill coming in at more than £8,000.
Most expensive used car repairs
Source: Average accident damage repair costs, Carvertical
- Peugeot – £8,341
- Alfa Romeo – £7,744
- Citroen – £5,899
- Ford – £4,865
- Renault – £4,852
- Fiat – £4,732
- Seat – £3,812
- Volkswagen – £3,683
- Suzuki – £3,674
- Vauxhall – £2,885
The firm also analysed its data to work out what age of cars were most likely to have suffered damage.
Used cars made between 2003 and 2022 were assessed with the numbers revealing cars made in 2013 were most likely to have been damaged at some stage during their lives.
This was followed by used cars manufactured in 2014, 2015 and 2009.
Used car makes with highest proportion of damage
Source: Carvertical
- Vauxhall – 25.5%
- Seat – 23.3%
- Fiat – 23.1%
- Alfa Romeo – 22.5%
- Ford – 22.3%
- Citroen – 21.6%
- Suzuki – 21.2%
- Renault – 21.2%
- Volkswagen – 20.8%
- Peugeot – 20.6%
Carvertical’s Matas Buzelis said: ‘As Britain’s car stock gets older, so do the vehicles that drivers are considering buying, especially as these are often more affordable.
‘Cars that have suffered serious damage can have the evidence hidden behind layers of fresh paint and concealed by unscrupulous sellers who do not want to disclose the issue.’
Car Dealer will shortly be hosting the Used Car Awards 2023 where the best dealers in the UK are revealed.
Host Mike Brewer will be revealing the winners at the event on Monday, November 27 at The Brewery in London. Tickets are available for booking now.
The Used Car Awards 2023 Shortlist will be revealed on Monday.
