The gap between older and newer cars in terms of average aftersales invoice value continues to widen, according to new analysis from Marketing Delivery.

The marketing agency examined the average invoice value of aftersales work performed by franchised dealers across the UK for cars in different age brackets.

In 2023, the average invoice value was £480 for cars aged six to ten years, compared to £327 for cars under three years old – a 47% difference. This gap has been increasing yearly; it was 45% in 2022 and 34% in 2021.

Furthermore, the average workshop invoice value for vehicles in the six- to ten-year-old age bracket in the first half of 2024 was £496, a 45% rise over the same category of work undertaken in 2021.

Many retailers use discounted labour rates and reduced cost-per-job pricing as strategies to retain older car business.