New analysis has found that the UK’s used car market is the safest and most trustworthy in the world.
This is despite nearly a fifth (18%) of second-hand vehicles having a damage record.
carVertical compared millions of history check reports generated on its platform to compare second-hand car market across Europe and the United States. It ranked them across a number of key metrics, including age, damage value, and mileage.
Based on the results, it found that the UK’s second-hand car market was the most transparent, ahead of Italy and Switzerland, despite it being among the oldest with the average age of used cars rising to 11 years.
A key factor for this was the low number of imports, which typically bring a higher risk of scams. Just two per cent of the UK used car market is imported models compared to an average of 50%, and while 18% of used cars in the UK have a damage record, this figure compares favourably to other countries, with only Italy (13%) recording a lower share.
The report also found that the UK has the lowest share of vehicles that have been clocked – just two per cent.
Used cars
Matas Buzelis, car expert at carVertical, said: “Buying a used car can carry some risk, but in the UK there is far less chance of people falling victim to fraud or scams. The reason the second–hand car market in the UK is a lot safer than in other countries around the world is because there are far fewer imported vehicles and tighter regulations.
“In most cases, used cars circulate in the UK until the end of their lives and with far less trade in and out of the country, the market ranks as far more transparent.
“Motorists in the UK are therefore less likely to buy a car that has been damaged or clocked compared with drivers in Europe and the United States.”