When is the best time to buy a car?

A new car is one of the most expensive purchases you’re ever likely to make, but there are certain times when you can make quite a saving.

Here’s our guide to the best times of year to buy a car…

February

There’s not a huge amount to like about February – it’s traditionally the UK’s coldest month of the year, there’s rarely a nice day and the country is still in the grips of winter. But it’s a great time to go car shopping, especially if you want to make a killing…

Thanks to the new registration plates coming out annually in March, very few buyers want to settle for the outgoing registration number. If you’re planning on keeping your car for a bit and don’t mind this, then car dealers will be rolling out the red carpet for you in what’s traditionally their quietest sales month of the year. They’ll want the registration to hit their monthly targets, so they’ll be prepared to let their profit margin take a hit, especially if you go in during the last week of the month.

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June

Care sales staff get paid in a three-tiered structure. They get their basic pay, then commission based on the value of sales that they generate and finally a volume bonus, based on the number of cars they sell.

The bonuses are normally paid 30 days in arrears, so whatever a sales executive realises in June will be in their pay packet at the end of July, just in time for the school holidays. There’ll be many a salesperson chasing whatever sales they can grasp to chip up their bonus in June as a result, so drive a hard bargain and you may get a pleasant surprise.

August

Along with February, August is a month that sees tumbleweed blowing through the UK’s car showrooms, certainly as far as sales are concerned. With the second annual plate change in September, ordering a car for registration in August will help the dealer hit his volume targets without having to take a hit on a pre-registration.

Plus, with half the population away on holiday or spending time with the family, not many people set foot in showrooms. Those that do will be welcomed with open arms.

December

It’s bonus time again! Most sales execs are given annual incentives as well as monthly ones, and these are based on calendar year sales. Pop into a showroom in December and you’re likely to get an amazing deal, especially if a sales executive is close to his or her annual volume bonus – we’ve heard of some dealers giving up their margin completely at the end of the year, with the promise of a car manufacturer-backed incentive trip or annual pay-out due to the best performing sales staff.

They’ll be putty in your hands…

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