Strong retail sales performance is still being reported by used car dealers, with confidence high for the immediate future, says CAP’s latest monthly Used Car Performance Index survey of the UK used car trade.

Overall national sales in August showed little change on July, suggesting that the much-trumpeted end of the consumer ‘boom’ is not yet impacting on the used car retail business.

A regional breakdown reveals north eastern used car dealers as the biggest winners in August, with 70% of those questioned reporting an increase in sales.

Meanwhile, dealers in the north west saw the biggest dip in fortunes. They moved from the top slot in July into a negative position in which half of those surveyed reported a fall in sales. They are also – along with dealers in the West Midlands - the least confident about business prospects for the immediate future – although the majority do expect to maintain or improve performance on August.

Regions which also fared better month-on-month were eastern, Scotland, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside while dealers in the East Midlands, Northern Ireland, north west, south east & London, south west and Wales all reported lower sales.

Daren Wiseman, CAP’s current values managing editor, said: "Used car dealers have not only been working very hard to maintain a competitive edge – they have also been working smarter.

"For example, our research for Black Book indicates that dealers are paying more careful attention than ever to stocking precisely the cars they know customers are seeking. This is an important factor supporting another positive development – quicker and more effective conversion of enquiries into sales."