The brands that will give you the biggest discount off a new car REVEALED
NEW research has revealed which car manufacturers will give motorists the biggest discounts off a brand new vehicle. Here are the best and worst brands for offering a discount.
New research has revealed that on average car buyers a saving of around 8.3 per cent when purchasing a vehicle between the months of March and May this year.
The What Car? Target Price report used mystery shopper analysis across 7,500 new cars on sale in Britain and found driver can make a saving of around £2,581 on the manufacturer list price.
There were only 218 models on sale that were offered with absolutely no discount.
While drivers can still pocket a saving, discounts have actually flat-lined across the market despite new car sales falling by 6.8 per cent in 2018, with 1,079,049 sold so far.
Dealerships are struggling due to the recent 30.6 per cent decline in diesel sales in 2018.
To try and entice motorists to buy diesel the cars are being offered with the equivalent of an extra £888 (8.8 per cent compared with 7.9 per cent) off the list price compared with their petrol equivalents.
Discounts on plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles were also down by an average of 2.1 per cent over the quarter, due to the 36.1 increase in sales year-on-year.
The car manufacturer offering the best discounts was DS with an average discount of 13.06 per cent on models such as the DS 3 and DS 5, followed by Seat with 12.98 per cent savings on its popular Ibiza, Arona and Ateca models.
Volume sellers Ford and Volkswagen also appear in the most lucrative offers list with 10.39 per cent and 11.54 per cent, respectively, on popular models such as the Fiesta, Focus, and Golf.
The single biggest discount on offer is 25.44 per cent off a Seat Toledo. That’s the equivalent of paying £12,434 against a list price of £16,675. The top 10 discounts also include everything from the Seat Mii city car to the BMW 7 Series luxury saloon.
At the opposite end of the table, Porsche (0 per cent) and Dacia (0.96 per cent) offer little manoeuvre when it comes to getting money off the list price.
Steve Huntingford, Editor of What Car?, said: “It’s an interesting marketplace for anyone looking to buy a new car at the moment.
“As demand for diesels continues to wane, deals on electric cars have actually started to shrink since March.
“However, even though overall discounts have flat-lined, our Target Price data shows some manufacturers are still fighting hard for your money with big discounts.
“The discount slowdown could be a sign that dealers are holding off on offering their best deals until new models are introduced later this year to meet tough new emissions standards.
“Buyers should continue to check our regularly updated Target Price guide to see when is best to sign on the dotted line.”
Buyers can secure these discounts using What Car? New Car Buying service, which features the best deals based on the car they want and their geographical location, saving them time, money and the hassle of haggling.
Top 10 manufacturer discounts (March to May 2018)
1. DS -13.06 per cent
2. Seat - 12.98 per cent
3. Volkswagen - 11.54 per cent
4. Renault - 11.42 per cent
5. Peugeot - 11.04 per cent
6. Ford - 10.39 per cent
7. Volvo - 9.83 per cent
8. Skoda - 9.50 per cent
9. Citroën - 9.47 per cent
10. Smart - 9.36 per cent
Bottom 10 manufacturer discounts
1. Porsche - 0.00 per cent
2. Dacia - 0.96 per cent
3. Ssangyong - 2.08 per cent
4. MG - 79 per cent
5. Land Rover - 3.91 per cent
6. Subaru - 4.26 per cent
7. Infiniti - 4.35 per cent
8. Jeep - 4.76 per cent
9. Lexus - 5.05 per cent
10. Mazda - 5.22 per cent
Top 10 model discounts (May 2018)
1. Seat Toledo 1.0 TSI 110 SE
OTR Price: £16,675
Target Price: £12,434
Discount: 25.44 per cent
2. Fiat Punto 1.2 Pop+ 5dr
OTR Price: £11,900
Target Price: £8,900
Discount: 25.21 per cent
3. Volvo S60T4 [190] SE Nav [Leather]
OTR Price: £28,500
Target Price: £22,085
Discount: 22.51 per cent
4. BMW 7 Series 750i
OTR Price: £79,175
Target Price: £61,358
Discount: 22.50 per cent
5. Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI S 4dr
OTR Price: £22,030
Target Price: £17,129
Discount: 22.25 per cent
6. Mercedes-Benz SL 400 AMG Line 9G-Tronic
OTR Price: £76,985
Target Price: £59,904
Discount: 22.19 per cent
7. Seat Mii 1.0 Design Mii 5dr
OTR Price: £10,560
Target Price: £8,408
Discount: 20.38 per cent
8. Volvo V60 D3 [150] SE Nav [Leather]
OTR Price: £31,210
Target Price: £24,870
Discount: 20.31 per cent
9. Ford Focus 1.0 Ecoboost Titanium Navigation 5dr
OTR Price: £21,540
Target Price: £17,305
Discount: 19.66 per cent
10. Volkswagen Golf SV 1.5 TSI 150 GT EVO DSG
OTR Price: £27,575
Target Price: £22,425
Discount: 18.68 per cent