7:25 am, January 15, 2025
The Land Rover Discovery Sport was the most profitable used car for dealers last year, with the Ford Kuga leading the way at the budget end of the market.
That is according to new data from Dealer Auction, which has today (Jan 14) revealed its overall Retail Margin Monitor for 2024.
The firm, which forms part of Cox Automotive, has this year changed the way it records its data and now breaks vehicles down into two categories.
For the first time, cars are now split into two brackets: vehicles with a retail value of £0–£9,999 and over £10,000.
It is hoped that the change will give a ‘sharper focus’ on the models most commonly sold by Dealer Auction’s retail partners.
Prior to the change, the Land Rover Discovery Sport or Range Rover Evoque claimed the title of most profitable car in every month of 2024.
It is perhaps therefore unsurprising to see both models perform well in the over £10,000 category.
The chart was topped by the Discovery Sport, which ended 2024 with average retail margin of £3,700, per car.
The SUV was closely followed by the Evoque, which offered a margin of £3,550, and the Volvo XC60 (£3,075).
In the sub-£10,000 retail bracket, the Ford Kuga took the top spot for 2024, with an annual average retail margin of £2,250.
It was also a strong performer across other metrics – selling in 33 days on average and achieving an Average Auto Trader Retail Rating of 74.1
The Kia Sportage followed, with an annual average retail margin of £2,100, further underlining the popularity and performance of family-friendly SUVs.
This was further shown by the fact that 60% of the top 10 were SUVs/crossovers, with the remaining 40% made up of hatchbacks and superminis – including the third-place Peugeot 2008 (£2,080).
The fastest seller was the Nissan Qashqai, which sold in 29 days on average.
Commenting on the results, Dealer Auction’s marketplace director, Kieran TeeBoon, said: ‘Over the past three years, the Retail Margin Monitor has proved a valuable resource for savvy dealers who are looking to identify the most profitable stock for their forecourts.
‘It is important that we stay agile in order to support our dealers in the best possible way and there’s been an appetite among our followers and industry experts to see more depth to the detail we publish.
‘Going forward, we’ll therefore comment on what’s happening in the two brackets – not only to ensure a sharper focus on the models most commonly sold by our dealers, but also to provide more actionable insights to help maximise profit.’
Top 10 models by retail margin (for models retailing at <£10,000)
1, Ford Kuga:
- Average Retail Margin: £2,250
- Average Auto Trader Days to Sell: 33
- Average Auto Trader Retail Rating: 74
2. Kia Sportage:
- Average retail Margin: £2,100
- Average Auto Trader Days to Sell: 33
- Average Auto Trader Retail Rating: 76
3. Peugeot 2008:
- Average Retail Margin: £2,080
- Average Auto Trader Days to Sell: 32
- Average Auto Trader Retail Rating: 78
4. BMW 1 Series:
- Average Retail Margin: £2,070
- Average Auto Trader Days to Sell: 31
- Average Auto Trader Retail Rating: 80
5. Renault Captur:
- Average Retail Margin: £2,010
- Average Auto Trader Days to Sell: 37
- Average Auto Trader Retail Rating: 65
6. Peugeot 3008:
- Average Retail Margin: £2,005
- Average Auto Trader Days to Sell: 37
- Average Auto Trader Retail Rating: 65
7. Nissan Qashqai:
- Average Retail Margin: £1,975
- Average Auto Trader Days to Sell: 29
- Average Auto Trader Retail Rating: 85
7=. Mini Hatch:
- Average Retail Margin: £1,950
- Average Auto Trader Days to Sell: 32
- Average Auto Trader Retail Rating: 77
7=. Nissan Juke:
- Average Retail Margin: £1,950
- Average Auto Trader Days to Sell: 32
- Average Auto Trader Retail Rating: 68
10. Vauxhall Mokka:
- Average Retail Margin: £1,900
- Average Auto Trader Days to Sell: 30
- Average Auto Trader Retail Rating: 84
He added: ‘It’s a competitive 2024 top 10 in the sub-£10,000 sphere, with only £350 difference between the models in first and tenth place.
‘Furthermore, when we look at December’s data, the Sportage came out on top, and we also saw the Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf and Honda CR-V enter the fray so we encourage dealers to keep an eye on each month’s rankings to see the top-performing models.’
At brand level, in the top 10 makes for models with a retail value of under £10,000, BMW took the crown with an annual average retail margin of £2,300.
The firm was closely followed by it’s two big German rivals – Mercedes-Benz and Audi – which had retail margins of £2,200 and £2,150 respectively.
Top 10 brands by retail margin (for models retailing at <£10,000)
- BMW: £2,300
- Mercedes-Benz: £2,200
- Audi: £2,150
- Volvo: £2,100
- MINI: £2,050
- Mazda: £1,975
- Nissan: £1,900
- Kia: £1,850
- Renault: £1,840
- Peugeot: £1,835
Looking at brands over £10,000, Land Rover led the way for the fourth year running, with an average margin of £4,475.
TeeBoon added: ‘Our annual round-up shows plenty to be optimistic about as we head into 2025. Trade demand remains robust, with ample opportunities to seek out profit.
‘Although this report is a brilliant gauge of long-term trends, the variations seen in December reinforce the importance of looking at the most up-to-date insights to stay ahead of the curve.
‘To succeed in 2025, it’s crucial for dealers to fine-tune their forecourt for that perfect balance of speed to sale and maximising margins.’
