Used car sales bounced back in February with a 6% increase in dealer revenues year-on-year, according to new data from Dealerweb.

The positive figures are a result of increased sales conversion, which increased by 1.5% to 35% for used vehicles, it said as it published its latest market data this week.

Overall enquiries were relatively static with an increase of 0.2%, while test drives fell by 5.6%.

Sales of used finance increased by 5.1% and GAP by 6.1%.

Dealerweb’s managing director, Martin Hill (pictured), said: “In a tough retail environment it is clear that dealers worked hard to deliver a positive month of growth in February.

"The data shows that a blended retail strategy is a crucial part of today’s dealership.

"The approach relies on a strong link between the customer's online and physical journey.”

Research by Dealerweb shows that buyers who selected phone or email as their preferred means of communication, around half (53%) preferred a phone call during the traditional ‘9-to-5’ working day, while 47% preferred email.

However, outside of these conventional working hours, the balance between the two shifts dramatically towards email, with almost two thirds (65%) preferring email communication.

Dealerweb supports dealer groups, and independent retailers maximise their sales performance through better lead management and smarter customer communication.