Bad vehicle presentation can cost dealers £1,000 per sale
Good vehicle presentation can save dealers more than £1,000 per car sale, according to new research.
Auto Trader analysis of more than 2,000 UK motorists has found that 90% of car buyers would refuse to pay full price for a car that appeared scruffy, with 70% saying they would expect discounts of at least six per cent.
With the average used car selling for £17,103, that represents £1,026 off the asking price.
Meanwhile, a third (33%) would expect discounts of between 11% and 20%.
The data also found that 77% of car buyers said they believed a clean car suggested the owner had taken good care of it mechanically as well.
More than three quarters (77%) agree that a clean car suggests the owner has looked after it mechanically.
First impressions
Erin Baker, a car selling expert at Auto Trader, said: “We often talk about staging when it comes to selling houses, but the same psychology applies to used cars. Buyers make a judgement in seconds, and if a car looks unloved, they immediately start negotiating, even if it’s mechanically sound.
“That means sellers can lose hundreds of pounds simply because of dents, scratches, tired interiors or a car that hasn’t been properly cleaned.
“The good news is that many of the biggest ‘value signals’ are fixable without huge spend, a deep clean, removing clutter, addressing minor cosmetic damage and improving the first impression can make a genuine difference to what buyers are willing to pay.”
