If the time has come to sell your car, there are a couple of simple steps you can take to ensure you get the most money possible. After all, a car is often the second most expensive purchase you ever make, and knowing what to do to get the best value when selling it as a used car can net you an extra couple of thousand.
Selling a used car is a balancing act. Nobody wants to lose money on a car by pricing it too low and having it snapped up as the bargain of the century. Equally, a car that sits for sale for months or years because of a whooping asking price isn’t good either.
Thinking like a potential buyer is the biggest thing to remember when selling a car. Think about what you want to see when buying a used car and apply it to your car. After all, it’s your job to make the car as enticing as possible.
Know the car’s true value
A car’s value fluctuates depending on several factors. Everything from international conflicts to the seasons of the year can and will affect the value of a used car, alongside the usual mileage, service history, condition, and specification.
Cars will often depreciate heavily in the first few years, but that will peter out over time. Then, there are the laws of supply and demand. A used car in heavy demand will have better residuals than one that only appeals to a niche audience or suffers from a poor reliability record.
One way to find a proper valuation is to browse similar cars for sale and make your assessment based on that. Or there’s the Parkers Valuation Tool, our free tool that takes your car’s number plate and calculates its predicted value.
Be realistic about optional extras
Optional extras can dramatically increase a car’s price when new, and some owners try to recoup these extras by inflating the price tag when it comes time to sell.
Be realistic about what options are applied to a car and whether they’re worth asking extra money for. Things that may help with the value of a used car include metallic paint, leather seats, alloy wheels, and a sunroof. Customised floor mats with your name on them? Not so much.
Fork out a couple of quid for a custom valuation from Parkers.co.uk, and you can add optional extras to the estimate and get a more accurate valuation.
Get a service and a fresh MOT
A full service history is the best seal of approval you can get for a car. Boast one in the listing and it’ll be proof of care. It’ll show prospective buyers that you’re a sensible, careful owner who cares about the maintenance of their car and cherished it. In short, it’ll be less of a gamble.
Spotty, incomplete service histories point to shoestring running and skipped essential maintenance. Something as simple as a skipped oil change could lead to expensive headaches down the road, so regular servicing is the best indication of how good the car will be.
If the MOT is due, book it in. Offloading a car with mere weeks of MOT can be a sign that you are trying to ditch it before a nasty bill arrives, which will begin to raise questions. Instead, if you want the maximum amount of money for a car, get a fresh MOT and pay for any repairs. Then, you can proudly proclaim any work done and a fresh MOT in the job listing.
Of course, a fresh MOT and service are no guarantee that the car will last forever, but they are a good indication that it will be trouble-free.
Give it a clean
Want to get the most from a car during selling? Give it a clean before anyone comes to see it or you snap the pictures. Some quality time with a bucket of car shampoo and a bottle of wax will make your car visually pop. This’ll make it more enticing and point to you being a careful owner.
Take good pictures
Pictures can make or break a used car advert, so spending time photographing the car makes sense. Once the car is clean, take simple photos of the exterior, interior, mechanicals, and appropriate paperwork. There’s no need to go overboard with a professional camera and exotic location; just be thorough and ensure you have good lighting.
Document any noticeable blemishes with dedicated pictures. This is not only transparent but also minimises the chance of a prospective buyer using the imperfections as a bartering tool.
We have a full guide on how to take the best pictures when selling a car here.
Honesty is the best policy
Cars are tools of transport; they’re rarely wrapped in cotton wool and coddled. It’s perfectly fine to sport the odd stone chip, scratch, or interior blemish; just be honest about it. You can always try to sort the damage out with a touch-up pen or dab of car polish, which might help improve values slightly, but be honest about the condition.
Again, think as if you were a buyer. If a seller wasn’t honest about a dent in the door until you rocked up to test drive it, what else could they not be being honest about?
Mileage
This is an interesting point because there’s a sweet spot for mileage. It’s easy to default to the usual assumption that low mileage is better, but an MOT and service history are far better indicators of overall condition.
A super low miler might never have been run above 30mph or over a distance great enough to get the engine warm enough to work properly. A lack of use could also lead to gaskets perishing and other mechanical issues that rear their ugly heads.
High-mileage vehicles can have their own issues, though. Parts will become worn out over time and need replacing as the mileage increases.
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