The head of remarketing at a major manufacturer told me last week that when customers browse the internet for a used approved car, not only do they have far more chance of finding the right car in the right specification, the right colour and often at the right price, they are more likely to part with their money for it.

If what they find on their screen at home is enough to make them travel halfway across the country to see the car in the metal at a dealer, they’ve probably already made up their mind that they’ll be the next owner.

More people than ever are using internet as their first port of call when deciding to change their car.

The reassurance of approved used schemes means the customer is often happier to pay a little more than they would at an independent dealer, who might be unable to match the comprehensive list of checks, warranty cover and breakdown cover often thrown in.

More than half the people that use our products intend to buy their next car from a franchised dealer.

Parker’s offers a link to thousands of cars for sale in approved used schemes. People browsing for a price or looking at a review on the Parker’s website can be steered to similar cars available at dealers.

We believe the service is helping give our customers a good start when they change their cars.

We hope dealers are grasping the opportunity to sell their best cars to customers genuinely interested in buying them.