8:56 am, January 30, 2025
Most car buyers would prefer to sell their existing vehicle to a dealer, rather than arrange a private sale themselves.
That is according to a new survey from digital marketplace Motors, which has been conducted its first Consumer Insight Panel of 2025.
In the study of 2,000 car buyers, just over half (52%) said their preference would to sell their existing car to a dealer, followed by private sales (23%) and specialist car buying services (12%).
The news will no doubt come as music to the ears of the motor trade, as ongoing stock issues continue to dog the used car industry.
Elsewhere, they survey found that nearly half of car buyers (47%) are looking to buy within the next 12 months, an increase on the 40% who planned to do so when last asked in September.
Meanwhile, a further 17% are currently searching or planning to buy a car before the end of March and over a quarter (27%) expect to buy within the first half of the year.
Longer term buying plans are also in place with 24% expecting to buy in 2026 and 12% in 2027.
Buyers most likely to purchase a car within 12 months are men (52%), 25-34 year-olds (58%) and those with household incomes over £60,000 (52%).
The Consumer Insight Panel also identified that on average buyers are prepared to travel between 40 and 50 miles to find the right car at the right price, with men more likely to travel further (47 miles) than women (40 miles).
Buyers living in Scotland and the south west of England are prepared to travel the furthest at 50 miles, according to Motors’ data.
When it comes to choosing makes and models, buyers are mostly influenced by recommendations from family and friends (39%) and car search websites (38%).
Reacting to the findings, Lucy Tugby, marketing director at Motors, said: ‘Our first Consumer Insight Panel of 2025 reveals the appetite among decision makers to buy their next car within 12 months is stronger than it was last year.
‘Whether this reflects increased consumer confidence remains to be seen, but following an extended period of economic uncertainty, this is positive news for dealers making stocking decisions.
‘The research also highlights the importance of pricing to market as buyers are prepared to travel an average of 44 miles to purchase a car they have seen online at a price they are prepared to pay.
‘Dealers play a key role in the buying and selling process, remaining the first port of call for owners when selling their existing cars, highlighting the importance of offering competitive trade-in values to secure purchases and access used car stock.’
