7:47 am, October 1, 2024
Northampton is the worst place in the UK to buy a used car, according to a new survey from MoneyBarn Vehicle Finance.
The firm has been conducting a study of used car reviews all over the UK to come up with a conclusive list of the best and worst places to buy.
The study looked at the 30 most populated towns and cities in the country and analysed their dealers to arrive at an average used car price for each area.
Experts also studied the percentage of ‘excellent’ and ‘terrible’ reviews dealers in each area had received.
Analysts then gave every town and city a normalised score out of 10 for each of the three factors, before calculating an average score out of ten.
The data found that overall, Northampton was the worst place to buy a used car in the UK, with an overall score of just 1.84.
The town had 35% ‘terrible’ reviews among buyers and an average used car price of £24,209.
The result placed the east midlands region just ahead of Huddersfield and London (both 1.95) as well as Brighton and Birmingham (both 2.41).
Reacting to the result, Josh Spies, SEO executive at MoneyBarn, said: ‘Northampton ranks as the worst place to buy a used car, with the lowest overall score of 1.84 out of 10.
‘Only 50% of the reviews are excellent, while over a third are terrible at 35%, indicating high customer dissatisfaction.
‘The average used car price in Northampton is £24,209, which is on the higher side, given the satisfaction ratings.’
The worst places to buy a used car
On the flip side, the best city to buy a used car was found to be Kingston upon Hull, which bagged an average score of 9.77.
A whopping 85% of reviews in the Yorkshire town were ‘excellent’ with just 10% rated as ‘terrible’. Meanwhile, the average used car price was £16,425.
Also performing well in the study were Nottingham (8.16) and Swindon (7.82), as well as Sheffield and Liverpool (both 7.24).
Spies added: ‘Our study found that Kingston upon Hull is the top city for buying a used car, scoring 9.77 out of 10.
‘It has the highest percentage of excellent reviews, 85%, and a low 10% of terrible reviews, suggesting high customer satisfaction.
‘The average used car price in Hull is £16,425, making it the third-most affordable overall.’
The best places to buy a used car
When looking at price alone, the cheapest place to buy a used car was Bristol, with an average price of £9,406.
Meanwhile, Huddersfield was the most expensive region at £36,696. Surprisingly, London only managed third on the list with an average price of £30,083.
