How to buy a used car

Start with the total you can put in — cash, part-exchange value, and any deposit — then work out the monthly you can sustain if you are financing. A useful discipline is to price the car and a year of ownership before you shortlist anything.

• Insurance — get a quote on the exact model and trim before you buy. Two versions of the same car can sit several insurance groups apart.
• Road tax — cars registered between March 2001 and March 2017 are taxed on CO₂, so an older diesel can be cheaper or far more expensive than you expect.
• Fuel or charging — a 15mpg difference over 10,000 miles a year is several hundred pounds.
• Servicing and tyres — premium badges carry premium parts prices for the whole time you own them.

If you are buying on finance, run the numbers before you walk into a showroom. Our car finance calculator shows what a given price, deposit and term actually costs per month, and used car finance explains how PCP and HP differ on a used vehicle.

Dealers sell under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which gives you the right to reject a faulty car within 30 days. A private seller only has to describe the car accurately — “sold as seen” genuinely does limit your options. That protection gap is the main thing you are paying for when a dealer price looks higher.

We cover the trade-offs in full in where to buy a used car.

Pick three or four models rather than one. A single-model search leaves you negotiating from a weak position and paying over the odds when stock is tight. Compare shortlisted cars on MOT history, known faults and real-world economy, not on trim names.

If most of your driving is urban, an electric car is often the cheapest option to run once you can charge at home — see used electric cars.

Before you spend an afternoon on a viewing, check the registration. An MOT history shows advisories, mileage at each test and any pattern of the same fault recurring. A finance and write-off check tells you whether the seller can legally sell it at all.

• Free MOT history check — advisories and recorded mileage.
• Vehicle checker — tax, MOT status and DVLA record by registration.
• ULEZ and Clean Air Zone checker — whether it is chargeable where you drive.

The physical inspection is a separate discipline — what to check when buying a used car is the full checklist.

Drive it cold. A car that has been warmed up before you arrive can hide a difficult start, a smoky exhaust and a noisy top end. Ask the seller not to run it beforehand, and be suspicious if the engine is already hot when you get there.

• Twenty minutes minimum, including a dual carriageway and some low-speed steering.
• Brake firmly once on a clear road — listen for grinding and feel for pulsing.
• Radio off, windows up, then windows down. Listen for knocks over rough surfaces.
• Check every electrical item: windows, aircon, heated seats, infotainment, cameras.
• On an automatic, feel for hesitation or a thump between gears.

The strongest position is a specific, evidenced number: comparable cars advertised for less, an MOT advisory that will cost you money, tyres near the limit, or a service due within a month. Vague haggling gets a vague discount.

Negotiate the car price first and the finance second. Agreeing a monthly payment before a price lets the total cost move without you noticing. Be equally clear about your part-exchange — get it valued separately with our car valuation tool so the two numbers can’t be blended.

Pay at least part of the price by credit card where you can — Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act makes the card provider jointly liable on purchases between £100 and £30,000, and a deposit on the card is usually enough to secure that protection. Never pay cash for the full amount to a private seller, and never transfer money before seeing the car.

Leave with the V5C logbook (check the registered keeper matches the person selling), the service history, both keys, the MOT certificate and a signed receipt. The seller notifies the DVLA; you should receive a new V5C within a few weeks.