How We Work · 6 min read
How We Price Our Cars — And What Is Actually Negotiable
Are used car prices negotiable at a dealer?
Some room usually exists, but less than people expect at a dealer that prices against the live market. We price every car against real-time data for that exact model, age, mileage and specification, so the advert starts near the right number. Where there is normally more to talk about is your part-exchange figure and what we include with the car.
Nobody enjoys the bit where you have to guess whether a price is real. So here is how ours are set, what moves them, and where a conversation genuinely helps you.
It is also, we hope, a useful way to compare any two dealers — because the number in the advert only means something once you know what sits behind it.
Where the number in the advert comes from
Every car we list is priced against live market data: what the same model, year, engine, trim and mileage is currently advertised for, what those cars are actually selling for, and how quickly they are selling. That data updates constantly, and so do our prices.
On top of the raw market position we adjust for the things that make a specific car worth more or less than the average example: documented service history, the number of previous keepers, how much MOT is left, tyre and brake condition, specification and colour, and the preparation the car has already had.
The consequence is straightforward. Because we do not add a cushion to the price expecting to lose it in a negotiation, the advertised price starts closer to the honest number than it would at a dealer who does.
Why two identical-looking cars are not the same price
Two cars can share a make, model, year and mileage and still be thousands apart, for reasons that never show up in a price filter.
- Specification: the same model in a higher trim, or with the options people actually want, holds noticeably more value.
- History: a full documented service record against a patchy one is worth real money, and always will be at resale.
- Keepers: one or two previous owners against six tells a different story about the life the car has had.
- Condition and preparation: whether the car has had its service, its MOT, its tyres and its bodywork sorted before sale, or whether all of that is waiting for you.
- What comes with it: two keys rather than one, the service book, the locking wheel nut, the parcel shelf, the charging cables.
- What stands behind it: an HPI-clear car sold with a warranty and full consumer rights protection is not the same product as a private sale with no comeback.
Why the cheapest advert is rarely the cheapest car
The price you pay for a used car is the advert price plus everything it needs in the first six months. A car that is £700 cheaper but needs four tyres, a service and has an MOT full of advisories is not cheaper — it is the same money with more inconvenience and more risk attached.
That is the honest test to apply to any car, ours included: ask what has been done to it, what is due next, and what happens if something goes wrong in month two. The answers explain most price differences you will see.
What is actually negotiable
The advertised price has the least movement in it, precisely because it was not inflated to begin with. That does not mean there is nothing to discuss — it means the discussion is usually somewhere more useful.
- Your part exchange: the figure for your current car is a real number and it is worth having the conversation properly, with the car in front of us.
- What is included: there is sometimes more room in what we can add to the car than in what we can knock off it.
- Delivery: tell us where you are and what you need, and we will tell you what is possible.
- Timing: if you are flexible on collection, say so — it occasionally helps.
Prices move with the market — including downwards
Used car values are not fixed. They move with seasons, fuel prices, new car supply and demand for particular models. We review our stock against live data rather than waiting to see who blinks first, so if a car is not getting the interest it should, the price changes.
If you have your eye on something specific, tell us. It costs you nothing and it means you hear about it before the general public do.
How to compare two dealers properly
Ask both the same short list of questions and the real price difference usually disappears — or gets much bigger.
- What preparation has this car had, and has the service and MOT been done?
- Is it HPI clear, and can I see the report?
- How many keys, and what history comes with it?
- What warranty is included, and what does it actually cover?
- Is the advertised price the total price of the car? Ask for the drive-away figure in writing before you pay a deposit.
Common questions
- Can I negotiate on the price of a used car?
- You can always ask. Our prices are set against live market data rather than padded for haggling, so there is less room than people expect — but tell us what you are trying to achieve, because the deal is more than one number, especially if you have a car to part exchange.
- Is the advertised price the total price I pay?
- Ask us to confirm the drive-away figure in writing before you pay a deposit. We will set out the price of the car and anything else you have chosen, such as delivery, on the invoice so there is nothing to discover at handover.
- Why is your car more expensive than a similar one elsewhere?
- Usually specification, history, condition or preparation. Send us the other advert and we will tell you honestly how the two compare — including the times when the other car is genuinely the better buy.
- Do your prices include VAT?
- The advertised price is the price of the car. Where a vehicle is VAT qualifying — most often commercial vehicles and some ex-fleet cars — the listing says so, which matters if you are buying through a VAT-registered business.
- Do you reduce prices on cars that have been in stock a while?
- Yes. We review stock against live market data and adjust rather than sitting on a car and hoping. If you are watching something specific, tell us and we will let you know when it moves.
If a price does not make sense to you, ask us to explain it. We would far rather talk you through how a car was priced than have you wondering about it on the drive home.