Cheap used cars for sale

You can start by looking for a cheap used car on Carwow through one of our trusted dealers. There’s a wide range of second-hand cars at great prices.

It’s also worth looking online at classified adverts and auctions. Private sales can be cheaper than dealers, but you won’t have the same legal rights and a private seller won’t be able to include a warranty or breakdown cover in the sale.

For a really cheap used car, you could try an in-person auction, but you really need to know what you are doing to avoid a mistake, and there’s not much comeback if you end up with a lemon.

If you want to buy a cheap, reliable used car, do your research. Look for makes and models which perform well in reliability studies and owner satisfaction surveys. Take a look at online forums, too, which will describe common problems and likely fixes.

Once you have a couple of reliable cars in mind, find a good example that’s been serviced on time, every time. If it’s three years old or more, look at the MOT history online to see if the last test identified problems that will soon need attention. It’s not a bad idea to pay for a professional mechanical inspection, especially if you are buying privately.

The best cheap used car is one that’s affordable to buy and run, and which won’t spring any expensive surprises a few miles down the road.

There’s no one car which will suit everyone, but good value used buys include the Ford Fiesta, Kia Sportage, Skoda Kodiaq, and Toyota Corolla.

Concentrate on the car’s condition and service history rather than mileage. You want a cheap used car that’s been looked after rather than abused.

Check the service history to make sure the car has been serviced on time. Look at the wheels for any dings and scrapes and check the bodywork for dents and scratches. Take a test drive to make sure the car drives as it should, and check that all the car’s features (radio, air conditioning, and so on) are working properly.

There’s no hard and fast answer to this. Low-mileage cars should have lots of life left in them, but don’t rule out a model with high-mileage. Travelling a long way at a steady speed can put less strain on a car than stop-start driving.

However far the car has been driven, carry out a history check to be sure the mileage is genuine. You can arrange one through Carwow that will also tell you if the car is an insurance write-off, if it has been stolen, and whether there is any outstanding finance.