"Own a car? Now's the time to sell it"

The latest series of Fifth Gear is on the telly. We have almost two decades of shows behind us, and this time around with Touring Car star, Jason Plato, and former F1 driver, Karun Chandhok, we’ve had a little tweak of things.

We’ve tacked the word ‘Recharged’ onto the programme’s name and in doing so have become the first TV show to focus on electric, hybrid and hydrogen-powered machines.

But fear not fellow petrolheads! We’re still exploring the world of petrol and diesel, highlighted by the test I filmed with a converted 1996 Land Rover that now runs on electric, against its diesel counterpart.

Up hills, down boulders and through water, the electric machine’s big power (450bhp), smooth delivery, simple traction system and ability to be totally submerged, was superior. So, should we all be rushing to convert our current cars to electric and bypass the new shiny stuff in showrooms?

No, because there’s a catch. A cash catch. At the moment, you can buy a 10-year-old Landy for about £25,000 - and you would need another £90,000 to turn it into a plug user. Eye watering numbers.

So, maybe the best thing to do with your current car right now is to sell it. But if you want to replace it with a new one you'll need to factor in the delays in the global chain for chips. Even trying to buy one of the UK’s best-selling cars, the Ford Fiesta, will see you waiting in a very long queue. Want a new Land Rover Defender? You’re unlikely to see it before Christmas 2022. 

But if you want to sell your car into the secondhand market then you’ll have rich pickings, with the possibility of even making a profit. These are unprecedented times. 

You'll need to think carefully if it's a car you have to replace because those high prices are much less beneficial when you're trying to buy. But time, perhaps, for me to cash in on my own version of the best-selling car - a Mk1 Fiesta…

Check out the latest best-selling cars list here...