Deals on wheels: New cars available with up to 17% discounts

With March just around the corner, car sales staff are preparing for what is traditionally one of their biggest months on the calendar.

That’s because it sees the arrival of a new number plate, with newly-registered vehicles set to display ’23’ as a replacement for the ’72’ prefix that’s been sold with zero-mile cars since September 2022.

And dealers are optimistic this March will see something of a return to the heady days of busy showrooms before the pandemic and supply shortages made it difficult for them to deliver new motors to buyers within 12 months of orders being placed.

With supply chain issues easing and dealers able to turn around orders quicker, mystery shoppers have identified which cars sales personnel are willing to discount most, claiming drivers can haggle almost 17 per cent off the list price of some 23-plate motors.

Volkswagen’s stylish Arteon has the biggest discounts available, with one model – the 1.5 TSI R Line – available with 16.7% off the list price

Nissan’s Qashqai is in huge demand. In fact, it was 2022’s best-selling new car. Still, dealers are trimming list prices by as much as 14.3%, says What Car?

Even electric vehicles are subject to savings. Buyers can negotiate up to 13.2% off a Nissan Leaf EV

Mystery shoppers have been ordered by Britain’s leading consumer champion and new car buying platform, What Car?, to find out which models dealers are willing to discount most.

It found that, despite the rising cost of living and high energy costs, manufacturers are offering significant savings on certain new factory order models – including some electric vehicles.

The Volkswagen Arteon 1.5 TSI R Line Fastback tops the savings, with a cash discount of 16.7 per cent. This translates to a £6,332 saving from retailers.

Customers who want a hybrid SUV might want to consider the Suzuki Vitara, which dealers are willing to discount by up to 13.2%

Peugeot’s 5008 is a saloon car packing lots of space. Dealerships are currently offering up to 12% off the asking price

A Nissan Juke 1.6 Hybrid N-Connecta Auto has a list price of £27,525. However, mystery shopper were able to haggle that down to £24,342 – a 11.7% discount

And deals can be struck on in-demand cars, including Britain’s best-selling new model of last year. 

Nissan dealers have been found to be offering up to 14.3 per cent (or £4,120) off the list price of a new Qashqai 1.3 DiG-T Acenta Premium. 

Mystery shoppers found that Nissan was also willing to budge significantly on the asking price for a new electric Leaf.

The Leaf 110kW Acenta 39kWh is offered with the third highest saving of 13.2 per cent – or £3,815 – off the list price of Britain’s fifth best-selling EV in 2022.

What Car? said the average cash discount across all makes and models ahead of the plate change is 4 per cent, or £1,875 per car.

What Car? says buyers will be able to negotiate around £2,100 off the £21,000 list price of a Seat Arona

If you like the feeling of wind through your hair, the BMW 4 Series Convertible will be right up your street. Dealers will knock 9.5% off the list price

Renault’s compact crossover, the Captur, is available with up to 8.5%, reducing the list price of £22,395 by £1,820

It also found certain models purchased via Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) finance can end up costing buyers less compared with if they bought it outright with cash, thanks to generous deposit contributions from manufacturers.

For example, buyers opting for a Fiat 500 1.0 Mild Hybrid can save 7.3 per cent on the list price when buying via PCP finance, thanks to a £2,900 deposit contribution from dealers. 

And the Ford Ecosport 1.0 Ecoboost 125 Titanium is available with a 4.8 per cent saving over the list price, thanks to a £1,250 deposit contribution.

The Peugeot 3008 1.6 Hybrid4 is a popular conventional hybrid family car. Buyers can get up to 8% – or £3,900 – off the near-£50k list price

The Seat Ibiza is another very popular car in Britain. Dealers are knocking up to 8% off prices

Another in-demand supermini is the hybrid Toyota Yaris. What Car? says dealers are willing to trim the list price by up to 7.5%

What Car? editor Steve Huntingford said: ‘The March plate-change is typically the busiest time for the industry, and even with high energy costs for manufacturers, it’s clear there are some great offers to be had on popular new models.

‘After months of limited discounts in the face of short supply, it’s great to see a buyer’s market returning.

‘What Car?’s Target Price team constantly mystery shops the market to keep track of the latest discounts and highlight them to Britain’s car buyers.’

Sue Robinson is the chief executive of the National Franchised Dealer Association, which represents manufacturer dealerships up and down the country.

Earlier this month she said: ‘Throughout 2023, we are confident retailers will continue to show their resilience and ability to meet buyers’ demand with growing footfall levels in showrooms and an ever-improving online offering from dealers.’

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk