The record for longest time a used car has been listed on Auto Trader is 2,300 days.

It was a Vauxhall Corsa, taken in part exchange and was listed for more than six years, until this month.

The fact was revealed by Nick King, Auto Trader’s insight director.

“When we identified this car and asked the dealer why he had kept it, he said, every car has a customer – something we hear every dealer say at some point. And he believed it owed him £1,000.”

But the unidentified dealer’s stock turn was 60 days (the UK average is 57) on a pitch for 10 cars, with 24 cars in stock.

“He could’ve sold 42 other cars in its place in that time,” King said. “And it has cost him about £25,000 to hold onto, including £2,500 to advertise.”

There was a message to dealers in this unique example, he said. “We need to get the message to dealers, this is your retail space, you need to behave as a retailer, as Tesco behaves, for example.

"We use its club card and think it’s wonderful that Tesco rewards us with points. But the real motivation is to understand what we are buying and what we want to see in its stores – or what we want on its ‘forecourt’.”