Survey Reveals Shift In Where People Buy Used Cars

A survey of 1,289 mycarcheck.com customers has revealed a significant shift in where people buy used cars.

27% of those surveyed in February said they preferred to go to a main dealer or car supermarket, up from 13% of those asked the same question a year ago. The trade has taken this market share from private sellers, down to 35% from 48% the previous year, with independent retailers unchanged on 33%.

Gavin Amos, head of valuation services at mycarcheck.com, said: "This shift is interesting to us because these customers tend to use our service for different reasons. Those buying in the private market see us as a vital source of data, whereas those buying from dealers see us as more of a double check for complete peace of mind. Those buying from dealers are often attracted by warranties and manufacturer-approved used car schemes, whereas those buying privately think they can get more for their money."

The survey formed part of the Making Better Used Car Choices 2017 report, which showed that the percentage of vehicles checked with at least one serious warning increased from 25.6% in 2015 to 28.5% in 2016. The most common serious risk, write-off, increased from 29% of all warnings in 2015 to 33.6% last year. Outstanding finance accounted for 18.1% of all warnings, up markedly from 13.8% in 2015.

The full report is online at: https://www.mycarcheck.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/MyCarCheck-vehicle-check-search-data-insight-report-2016?utm_source=BlogPost&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=2016Report

With information from the police, DVLA, insurers and finance houses, mycarcheck.com holds comprehensive data on every vehicle on UK roads - things that buyers should be aware of before making an offer.

CDL Vehicle Information Services, which owns mycarcheck.com, performs over a million look-ups a day for companies including AutoExpress, CompareTheMarket, Go-Compare, Moneysupermarket, Swiftcover and Tesco.

My Car Check, My MotorCycle Check, MyCarCheck Trade, My Text Check and the My Car Check apps are brands of CDL Vehicle Information Services, owned by CDL Group Holdings Ltd of Stockport, Cheshire.

CDL Vehicle Information Services is a member of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), the Consumer Credit Trade Association (CCTA), the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA), the Motor Asset Registration Service (MARS), the National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA) and the Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA).