Buying a nearly new car could save you serious money

When it comes to buying a car, plenty of people automatically gravitate towards a factory-fresh, brand-new model. That may be down to the allure of a zero per cent finance deal or a manufacturer incentive – but the reality is they might actually be paying more than they need for a new set of wheels. There is another option: ex-demonstrator cars.

Commonly advertised as ‘nearly new’ or ‘delivery mileage’ cars, these are new vehicles used by dealerships for test drives, showroom displays or short-term internal staff use. For those in the know, they can be a great way to save money. 

Admittedly, they are not technically ‘brand new’ because they will have been registered and used by the dealer. This means they’ve already had one owner and could have a few thousand miles on the clock – but this is exactly why they can be a smarter, cheaper choice for savvy buyers. 

Every new car suffers from depreciation, and an average model will lose between 50-60 per cent of its value in the first three years, with most of this happening in year one. With an ex-demo car, not only has that initial depreciation hit already happened, but it is factored into the reduced list price.

For example, a brand-new Volkswagen Golf in Match trim starts from £28,185, but when we trawled the classifieds, we found a six-month-old, identically specced ex-demo car with less than 3,000 miles on the clock for £24,663 – a saving of more than £3,500. We also found you could save almost £2,000 on a top-spec Dacia Sandero Stepway that had recorded fewer than 950 miles.

Ex-demo cars aren’t sparse on kit, either. Manufacturers use them to showcase the best model and trim in a line-up. That means they are often fitted with optional extras or additional features costing hundreds, if not thousands of pounds.

You’ll still be covered by the bulk of the manufacturer’s original warranty package, too. Dealers might even extend that or include additional services as part of the sale to provide extra peace of mind for buyers, sweetening the deal even more. 

So, what’s the catch? Well, as we’ve said, you won’t be the first registered keeper of the vehicle on the car’s V5C log book, and it could have clocked up a few miles. But if you can overlook these points, ex-demonstrator cars provide an affordable way to get your hands on the latest model. Plus, you’ll get one delivered much more quickly than you would a brand-new car.

Buy a car with Auto Express. Our nationwide dealer network has some fantastic cars on offer right now with new, used and leasing deals to choose from...