Three awesome used cars you can buy for less than £40,000 – and one to avoid

Cars are getting more expensive these days. Rewind 10 years and you could buy a new BMW 5 Series for well under £40,000, whereas these days it’ll set you back over £50,000.

A great way of saving yourself some cash is to look at used cars. Your £40,000 will get you much further on the second-hand market, with plenty of bargains out there to suit anyone’s needs. We’ve picked three of the best used cars for under £40,000, as well as one which may look tempting but is best avoided.

Ford Explorer – A nearly-new electric car with huge discounts

• We found: 2025 Premium Extended-Range with 890 miles
• Saving over new: £10,000

This is a great example of a used car bargain. We’ve found a nearly-new Ford Explorer in range-topping Premium trim for £40,000, so you save £10,000 over a new one just because it has a measly 890 miles on the clock.

The Explorer is a practical and well-equipped electric SUV with an impressive 354 miles of range, and it’s better-looking than the Volkswagen ID4 it shares a lot of its parts with. It may not be the most comfortable car in this class, but it makes up for this with a high-quality interior and loads of clever cabin storage solutions.

BMW 5 Series – one of the best all-rounders you can buy

• We found: 2024 520i M Sport with 4,100 miles
• Saving over new: £10,700

Remember when we said you couldn’t buy a brand-new 5 Series for less than £50,000 anymore? Well a nearly-new one can be yours for under £40,000. We’ve found an aggressive-looking M Sport model with the excellent 2.0-litre petrol engine within budget.

The 5 Series is great to drive, especially over long distances because it’s super comfy and refined. It’s also got a lovely, high-tech interior and it’s spacious as well. The styling may not be to everyone’s taste mind you.

Toyota Supra – German tech in a Japanese sports car

• We found: 2020 Supra Pro 3.0-litre with 30,000 miles
• Saving over new: £13,500

When Toyota revived the Supra name, it was met with mixed emotions from fans. On one hand it was great to get the Supra back, but the purists weren’t pleased to find that it was basically exactly the same as a BMW Z4 under that gorgeous bodywork.

It had an excellent 3.0-litre straight-six engine from BMW which both sounds fantastic and delivers plenty of power, and the Supra is great to drive as well. You may not be able to get the same wind-in-the-hair thrills as a Z4 offers, but it’s still great fun on a twisty road.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage – a beautiful car which is likely to break your heart

• We found: 2008 V8 Vantage with 45,000 miles
• Saving over new: £51,000

The 2013 Aston Martin Vantage is arguably one of the best-looking cars ever made. From every angle it is simply gorgeous, and that thunderous V8 engine also sounds fantastic. The thought of getting this car for less than £40,000 may seem hugely tempting, but you need to proceed with caution.

An old Aston Martin like this is not going to be cheap to run for starters. The high emissions attract a yearly tax bill of £735, and you’ll be lucky to get 20mpg out of it. Throw in some costly repair bills if and when something goes wrong and you really need to go into this purchase with your eyes wide open.

Car change? Carwow!

Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.

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