9:26 am, April 10, 2025
The Ford Kuga was the most profitable budget model for used car dealers last month – despite the Nissan Qashqai selling significantly faster.
That is according to new data from Dealer Auction, which found that BMW was the most profitable used brand overall for vehicles retailing at under £10,000.
The outfit’s research revealed that the Kuga – with an average retail margin of £2,225 – was the used model with the must profit-making potential for dealers.
The result placed it well clear of the second and third-placed Peugeot 2008 and Volvo XC60, which made an average margin of £2,215 and £2,175 respectively.
When it came to days-to-sell none of the Kuga (32 days), 2008 (29 days) or XC60 (34 days) could live with the Nissan Qashqai which sold at an average of just 26 days throughout March.
The Sunderland-built model also had the highest Auto Trader Retail Rating of any sub-£10,000 model, with an average score of 91.
March’s most profitable cars (under £10,000)
- Ford Kuga: Average Retail Margin – £2,225; Average Auto Trader Days to Sell – 32; Average Auto Trader Retail Rating – 83
- Peugeot 2008: Average Retail Margin – £2,215; Average Auto Trader Days to Sell – 29; Average Auto Trader Retail Rating – 89
- Volvo XC60: Average Retail Margin – £2,175; Average Auto Trader Days to Sell – 34; Average Auto Trader Retail Rating – 74
- BMW 1 Series: Average Retail Margin – £2,150; Average Auto Trader Days to Sell – 28; Average Auto Trader Retail Rating – 85
- BMW 3 Series: Average Retail Margin – £2,125; Average Auto Trader Days to Sell – 36; Average Auto Trader Retail Rating – 68
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class: Average Retail Margin – £2,115; Average Auto Trader Days to Sell – 37; Average Auto Trader Retail Rating – 68
- Kia Sportage: Average Retail Margin – £2,075; Average Auto Trader Days to Sell – 32; Average Auto Trader Retail Rating – 78
- Honda CR-V: Average Retail Margin – £2,050; Average Auto Trader Days to Sell – 35; Average Auto Trader Retail Rating – 68
- Mini Hatch: Average Retail Margin – £2,000; Average Auto Trader Days to Sell – 34; Average Auto Trader Retail Rating – 71
- Nissan Qashqai: Average Retail Margin – £1,900; Average Auto Trader Days to Sell – 26; Average Auto Trader Retail Rating – 91
The data was collected as part of Dealer Auction’s Retail Margin Monitor, which revealed a strong showing from BMW in both the brand and model charts.
The premium brand continued its solid 2025 performance by heading up the top 10 makes for models with a retail value of under £10,000 for the third month running, with an average retail margin of £2,200.
Commenting on the findings, Dealer Auction’s marketplace director, Kieran TeeBoon, said: ‘BMW has registered an emphatic performance so far in 2025.
‘It’s been a competitive year so far – in March, only £325 separated first and tenth place in the top 10 sub-£10,000 profit-making models.
‘It’s also interesting to see these trends within the chart itself, with certain profit-making models being particularly fast out of the blocks.
‘The key messages to dealers for 2025 are clear: profit and speed!’
March’s most profitable brands (under £10,000)
- BMW: Average Retail Margin – £2,200
- Mercedes-Benz: Average Retail Margin – £2,175
- Audi: Average Retail Margin – £2,150
- Mini: Average Retail Margin – £2,125
- Mazda: Average Retail Margin – £2,000
- Volvo: Average Retail Margin – £1,875
- Citroen: Average Retail Margin – £1,830
- Kia: Average Retail Margin – £1,825
- Renault: Average Retail Margin – £1,800
- Fiat: Average Retail Margin – £1,790
When it came to models prices over £10,000, Land Rover topped the most profitable brand list and dominated the Top 10 models.
The Discovery Sport topped the chart with an average retail margin of £4,325, followed by the Range Rover Evoque (£3,750).
TeeBoon added: ‘Used cars are moving quickly on our platform and it seems to be a common trend – AutoTrader have also just announced that Q1 represented the fastest rate of used car sales ever recorded.
‘With hot competition for quality stock, dealers are harnessing the power of digital to stay on the front foot.
‘By including digital auctions as part of their stock-buying portfolio, they can be in several places at once and snap up profitable stock from a variety of sources.’
