Best Cities to Buy a Used Car
Updated: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
The best-reviewed and cheapest places when it comes to buying second-hand.
When buying a car, many of us choose to look for a second-hand option. With a huge breadth of models to choose from, all at a fraction of the price of a new car, the benefits are obvious, but there are always risks, especially when it comes to financing a used van and even used electric car finance.
From paying over the odds to being landed with a car riddled with problems or even just experiencing poor customer service, buying second-hand can be a minefield.
So which UK cities are the best when it comes to buying a used car? We’ve taken the Ford Fiesta, the UK’s most popular used car as an example and analysed where in the country you’ll get the best service and the best value for your money.
The best-reviewed and cheapest places when it comes to buying second-hand.
When buying a car, many of us choose to look for a second-hand option. With a huge breadth of models to choose from, all at a fraction of the price of a new car, the benefits are obvious, but there are always risks, especially when it comes to financing a used van and even used electric car finance.
From paying over the odds to being landed with a car riddled with problems or even just experiencing poor customer service, buying second-hand can be a minefield.
So which UK cities are the best when it comes to buying a used car? We’ve taken the Ford Fiesta, the UK’s most popular used car as an example and analysed where in the country you’ll get the best service and the best value for your money.
The best places to buy a used car
1. Gravesend, Kent: 78.8% of “Excellent” reviews | 9.1% of “Terrible” reviews | Average used Ford Fiesta price: £5,161
Taking into account both customer reviews and the average price to buy a used car (using the UK’s most common car, the Ford Fiesta), the town of Gravesend in Kent came out as the best place to buy a used car!
More than three-quarters of reviews left for dealerships in the town were rated as excellent, with just 9.1% being rated as terrible. The town is also one of the cheapest in the nation for used cars, ranking in the top 10 with an average price of £5,161.
2. Bradford, West Yorkshire: 70.2% of “Excellent” reviews | 18.9% of “Terrible” reviews | Average used Ford Fiesta price: £2,822
This West Yorkshire city takes second place, improving from 18th place in 2021. Bradford car dealers prove to be very popular with customers, as 70% of reviews in the area were excellent, a 5% increase since last year. Bradford also has the lowest price when buying used cars too. However, it does have a relatively high proportion of “terrible” reviews at nearly 20% which is why the city falls behind Gravesend.
3. Basildon, Essex: 85.9% of “Excellent” reviews | 8.5% of “Terrible” reviews | Average used Ford Fiesta price: £7,610
Narrowly behind Bradford was Basildon, in Essex, which also had a very reassuring review rating of 85.9% excellent. The town also has the lowest proportion of “terrible” reviews on our list, with only 8.5%, marginally beating Gravesend by 1.4%.
The best places to buy a used car
1. Gravesend, Kent: 78.8% of “Excellent” reviews | 9.1% of “Terrible” reviews | Average used Ford Fiesta price: £5,161
Taking into account both customer reviews and the average price to buy a used car (using the UK’s most common car, the Ford Fiesta), the town of Gravesend in Kent came out as the best place to buy a used car!
More than three-quarters of reviews left for dealerships in the town were rated as excellent, with just 9.1% being rated as terrible. The town is also one of the cheapest in the nation for used cars, ranking in the top 10 with an average price of £5,161.
2. Bradford, West Yorkshire: 70.2% of “Excellent” reviews | 18.9% of “Terrible” reviews | Average used Ford Fiesta price: £2,822
This West Yorkshire city takes second place, improving from 18th place in 2021. Bradford car dealers prove to be very popular with customers, as 70% of reviews in the area were excellent, a 5% increase since last year. Bradford also has the lowest price when buying used cars too. However, it does have a relatively high proportion of “terrible” reviews at nearly 20% which is why the city falls behind Gravesend.
3. Basildon, Essex: 85.9% of “Excellent” reviews | 8.5% of “Terrible” reviews | Average used Ford Fiesta price: £7,610
Narrowly behind Bradford was Basildon, in Essex, which also had a very reassuring review rating of 85.9% excellent. The town also has the lowest proportion of “terrible” reviews on our list, with only 8.5%, marginally beating Gravesend by 1.4%.
The best-reviewed places to buy a used car
First, we looked at customer reviews of dealerships around the country, taking the towns and cities with the highest percentage of ‘excellent reviews’ (excluding places with fewer than 20 dealerships).
Below are the top three places with the best reviews, but it’s also interesting to see one of the country’s biggest cities, Manchester, also makes the top 20, with a quarter of the top 20 places found in Greater Manchester too.
1. Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset – 87.9% excellent reviews
The town with the highest number of ‘excellent’ reviews was the seaside town of Weston-Super-Mare, topping the list for the second year running. The local car dealerships hold a hugely impressive rate of 87.9%, a slight decrease from last year’s 88.7%, while just 5.9% of reviews in the area were rated as terrible, an increase of 1.1% since 2021.
If you live in the South West and don’t mind a trip to the seaside for some excellent customer service when buying your next car, then Weston might be the place to go!
2. Blackburn, Lancashire – 85.4% excellent reviews
Up from fifth place last year is Blackburn in Lancashire, which also has a very impressive ratio of car dealerships rated as excellent, with around four in five, a 7% increase since last year.
Blackburn is fairly close to a number of other towns and cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, and Sheffield, so residents in these places may want to consider heading to Blackburn for their next vehicle purchase.
3. Blackpool, Lancashire – 83.2% excellent reviews
Not far behind Blackburn in terms of top-tier dealership reviews is Blackpool, Lancashire. Blackpool had 83.2% excellent reviews, a rise of 4% since 2021 and just 0.1% more than Telford in fourth place.
With its sandy beaches and famous tower, Blackpool is a popular tourist destination, but you might want to have a casual browse of a car dealership too if you’re visiting!
The best-reviewed places to buy a used car
First, we looked at customer reviews of dealerships around the country, taking the towns and cities with the highest percentage of ‘excellent reviews’ (excluding places with fewer than 20 dealerships).
Below are the top three places with the best reviews, but it’s also interesting to see one of the country’s biggest cities, Manchester, also makes the top 20, with a quarter of the top 20 places found in Greater Manchester too.
1. Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset – 87.9% excellent reviews
The town with the highest number of ‘excellent’ reviews was the seaside town of Weston-Super-Mare, topping the list for the second year running. The local car dealerships hold a hugely impressive rate of 87.9%, a slight decrease from last year’s 88.7%, while just 5.9% of reviews in the area were rated as terrible, an increase of 1.1% since 2021.
If you live in the South West and don’t mind a trip to the seaside for some excellent customer service when buying your next car, then Weston might be the place to go!
2. Blackburn, Lancashire – 85.4% excellent reviews
Up from fifth place last year is Blackburn in Lancashire, which also has a very impressive ratio of car dealerships rated as excellent, with around four in five, a 7% increase since last year.
Blackburn is fairly close to a number of other towns and cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, and Sheffield, so residents in these places may want to consider heading to Blackburn for their next vehicle purchase.
3. Blackpool, Lancashire – 83.2% excellent reviews
Not far behind Blackburn in terms of top-tier dealership reviews is Blackpool, Lancashire. Blackpool had 83.2% excellent reviews, a rise of 4% since 2021 and just 0.1% more than Telford in fourth place.
With its sandy beaches and famous tower, Blackpool is a popular tourist destination, but you might want to have a casual browse of a car dealership too if you’re visiting!
The worst-reviewed places to buy a used car
However, not all towns and cities fared so well when it came to customer satisfaction. Here are the places that received the highest proportion of ‘terrible reviews’ (again, only for places with at least 20 dealerships).
Please note that while these places had the highest number of bad reviews, this could only be down to a handful of dealerships in the area that have attracted these reviews, so they don’t necessarily reflect all dealerships in the town!
1. Keighley, West Yorkshire – 54.1% terrible reviews
The unfortunate title of the town with the worst-reviewed car dealerships was Keighley, where over half (53.8%) of reviews left for dealerships were deemed to be ‘terrible’, rising from second place last year and increasing from 51.6%.
However, with Keighley being less than an hour from the town with the second-highest rating, Blackburn, perhaps locals don’t have too far to go to find better service.
2. Fareham, Portsmouth – 49.7% terrible reviews
Another town, unfortunately, had just under 50% ‘terrible’ reviews and that was Fareham in, Portsmouth. The seaside town has the worst-reviewed dealerships in the South West and unfortunately, residents will have to travel very far afield to find a dealership with a high proportion of excellent reviews.
Another two towns on the South Coast also made the 20 worst places, Poole and Brighton with 48.7% and 44.3% of their reviews being ‘terrible’ respectively.
3. Poole, Dorset – 48.7% terrible reviews
Completing the bottom three is Poole, in Dorset, with 48.7% of reviews for car dealerships in the area being rated ‘terrible’. The town takes third place for the second year in a row, with its “terrible” reviews increasing marginally since last year.
The worst-reviewed places to buy a used car
However, not all towns and cities fared so well when it came to customer satisfaction. Here are the places that received the highest proportion of ‘terrible reviews’ (again, only for places with at least 20 dealerships).
Please note that while these places had the highest number of bad reviews, this could only be down to a handful of dealerships in the area that have attracted these reviews, so they don’t necessarily reflect all dealerships in the town!
1. Keighley, West Yorkshire – 54.1% terrible reviews
The unfortunate title of the town with the worst-reviewed car dealerships was Keighley, where over half (53.8%) of reviews left for dealerships were deemed to be ‘terrible’, rising from second place last year and increasing from 51.6%.
However, with Keighley being less than an hour from the town with the second-highest rating, Blackburn, perhaps locals don’t have too far to go to find better service.
2. Fareham, Portsmouth – 49.7% terrible reviews
Another town, unfortunately, had just under 50% ‘terrible’ reviews and that was Fareham in, Portsmouth. The seaside town has the worst-reviewed dealerships in the South West and unfortunately, residents will have to travel very far afield to find a dealership with a high proportion of excellent reviews.
Another two towns on the South Coast also made the 20 worst places, Poole and Brighton with 48.7% and 44.3% of their reviews being ‘terrible’ respectively.
3. Poole, Dorset – 48.7% terrible reviews
Completing the bottom three is Poole, in Dorset, with 48.7% of reviews for car dealerships in the area being rated ‘terrible’. The town takes third place for the second year in a row, with its “terrible” reviews increasing marginally since last year.
The cheapest places to buy a used car
Next up, we looked at thousands of used car listings to see which towns and cities work out as the cheapest when buying a used car. Using the country’s most popular car, the Ford Fiesta, as our example. Again, we only looked at cities where there were more than 20 listings, to try and avoid any anomalies.
1. Bradford, West Yorkshire – £2,822
Bradford is the cheapest place to buy a used car, as the city in West Yorkshire has an average price of £2,822. As one of the biggest cities in the region, many people in the area probably choose to head to Bradford when looking for a new car anyway, but they can be reassured that they’re getting a good price if they do!
2. Barking, Greater London – £4,304
While London is generally known for being much more expensive than the rest of the country, there’s seemingly one corner of the capital where this isn’t the case, at least when it comes to buying a used car. That’s because the average price of a used Ford Fiesta in Barking stands at just £4,304!
3. Edgware, Greater London – £4,699
Not far behind Barking, the third cheapest place to buy a car is Edgware, with a used Ford Fiesta costing an average of £4,699. Similarly to Barking, you wouldn’t expect a town so close to the capital to be one of the cheapest locations, thanks to the higher cost of living in the South East.
The cheapest places to buy a used car
Next up, we looked at thousands of used car listings to see which towns and cities work out as the cheapest when buying a used car. Using the country’s most popular car, the Ford Fiesta, as our example. Again, we only looked at cities where there were more than 20 listings, to try and avoid any anomalies.
1. Bradford, West Yorkshire – £2,822
Bradford is the cheapest place to buy a used car, as the city in West Yorkshire has an average price of £2,822. As one of the biggest cities in the region, many people in the area probably choose to head to Bradford when looking for a new car anyway, but they can be reassured that they’re getting a good price if they do!
2. Barking, Greater London – £4,304
While London is generally known for being much more expensive than the rest of the country, there’s seemingly one corner of the capital where this isn’t the case, at least when it comes to buying a used car. That’s because the average price of a used Ford Fiesta in Barking stands at just £4,304!
3. Edgware, Greater London – £4,699
Not far behind Barking, the third cheapest place to buy a car is Edgware, with a used Ford Fiesta costing an average of £4,699. Similarly to Barking, you wouldn’t expect a town so close to the capital to be one of the cheapest locations, thanks to the higher cost of living in the South East.
The most expensive places to buy a used car
Some locations didn’t fare too well when it came to finding a good deal. When we look at the most expensive places to buy a used car, we see just how much prices can differ around the country. Here are the towns and cities with the highest average prices for the UK’s most popular car, the Ford Fiesta, excluding any areas with less than 20 listings to avoid skewing the results.
1. Wymondham, Norfolk – £14,702
Wymondham was the most expensive of all, with an average price of £14,702 for a Ford Fiesta. The market town in Norfolk has an average price of more than five times higher than the cheapest city, Bradford.
2. Harlow, Essex – £13,941
Harlow was the second most expensive place to buy a used Ford Fiesta, rising from ninth place in 2021 with an average price of £13,941, although those in the area who decide to look elsewhere may not have much luck.
That’s because neighbouring places such as Basildon, and a little further afield in Hertfordshire such as St Albans and Stevenage also appeared in the bottom 20!
3. Chelmsford, Essex – £13,751
Taking third place when it comes to the most expensive places for a used car is Chelmsford, in Essex, with an average price of £13,751. Chelmsford was one of seven cities in the 20 most expensive to be found in the South East of England. This comes as no surprise as the cost of living in the South East is generally higher than in other parts of the country thanks to its proximity to the capital.
Methodology
The best and worst-reviewed towns and cities were calculated using reviews data from Car Dealer Reviews and we took the places which had the highest percentages of excellent and terrible reviews respectively.
We also chose to only look at towns and cities with reviews listed for 20 or more dealerships, as for places with lower numbers of establishments, results were skewed or unreliable.
For the cheapest and most expensive places to buy, we looked at the prices of thousands of listings on Parkers, choosing to look at prices for the UK’s most popular car, the Ford Fiesta, looking at all models and trims currently listed on the site.
As with the reviews, we chose to only look at towns and cities that had 20 or more listings on the site, to ensure there were no anomalies.
All data is correct as of 10/11/2022.
The most expensive places to buy a used car
Some locations didn’t fare too well when it came to finding a good deal. When we look at the most expensive places to buy a used car, we see just how much prices can differ around the country. Here are the towns and cities with the highest average prices for the UK’s most popular car, the Ford Fiesta, excluding any areas with less than 20 listings to avoid skewing the results.
1. Wymondham, Norfolk – £14,702
Wymondham was the most expensive of all, with an average price of £14,702 for a Ford Fiesta. The market town in Norfolk has an average price of more than five times higher than the cheapest city, Bradford.
2. Harlow, Essex – £13,941
Harlow was the second most expensive place to buy a used Ford Fiesta, rising from ninth place in 2021 with an average price of £13,941, although those in the area who decide to look elsewhere may not have much luck.
That’s because neighbouring places such as Basildon, and a little further afield in Hertfordshire such as St Albans and Stevenage also appeared in the bottom 20!
3. Chelmsford, Essex – £13,751
Taking third place when it comes to the most expensive places for a used car is Chelmsford, in Essex, with an average price of £13,751. Chelmsford was one of seven cities in the 20 most expensive to be found in the South East of England. This comes as no surprise as the cost of living in the South East is generally higher than in other parts of the country thanks to its proximity to the capital.
Methodology
The best and worst-reviewed towns and cities were calculated using reviews data from Car Dealer Reviews and we took the places which had the highest percentages of excellent and terrible reviews respectively.
We also chose to only look at towns and cities with reviews listed for 20 or more dealerships, as for places with lower numbers of establishments, results were skewed or unreliable.
For the cheapest and most expensive places to buy, we looked at the prices of thousands of listings on Parkers, choosing to look at prices for the UK’s most popular car, the Ford Fiesta, looking at all models and trims currently listed on the site.
As with the reviews, we chose to only look at towns and cities that had 20 or more listings on the site, to ensure there were no anomalies.
All data is correct as of 10/11/2022.
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