A new study by AA Cars has found that dealers in Liverpool offer the best value used cars, with the strongest combination of affordable prices and low mileage.

AA Cars analysed 40 cities and towns around the UK to find where buyers can find the best value.

It found the average asking price for a used car in Liverpool was £10,557, while the average car listed for sale was 4.1 years old with 32,073 miles on the clock.

James Fairclough, CEO of AA Cars, said: “With many consumers facing financial pressures as a result of the pandemic, drivers want to know where they can get the best value for money on their next car. It’s striking how much regional variation there is, with some areas of Britain offering considerable added value - and Liverpool finishing top of our ranking.”

Winsford, in Cheshire, had the lowest average used car age, at just 3.6 years and finished third in the overall ranking for the best value places to buy a used car. It was also top for mileage, at 24,181 miles on the clock on average. The average cost is higher than Liverpool at £13,576, however.

Bedford, in Bedfordshire, is home to the least expensive vehicles at £7,925, but the price is brought down by the average mileage of 68,852, which is the highest among the 40 towns and cities analysed by AA Cars. Its cars are also the oldest, at 7.7 years.

There has been increasing activity in the second hand car market since lockdown eased. Used car sales increased by 60.6% in June, the month dealerships were allowed to re-open across Britain.

Searches and car views on the AA Cars site were also 9% higher in August than they were in July.

The company has relaunched its marketing campaign to help drivers buy a car with confidence. From September 2020 to January 2021, its campaign will highlight its Approved Dealers scheme, which allows dealers to demonstrate that their vehicles are inspected to the very highest AA standards. It also prominently lists history checks on the website, to give customers access to vital information about the car’s mileage, MOT, and accident and crime records.

Top 20 best places to buy used cars, according to AA Cars:

Overall rank

Location

Average age

Age ranking

(out of 40)

Average mileage

Mileage ranking (out of 40)

Average price

 

Price ranking (out of 40)

1

Liverpool

4.1

3

32,073

4

£10,557

17

2

Derby

4.2

4

32,958

6

£12,177

24

3

Winsford

3.6

1

24,181

1

£13,576

32

4

Nottingham

4.7

14

33,289

7

£11,140

20

5

Preston

4.5

9

36,260

11

£12,176

23

6

Sheffield

4.2

5

32,492

5

£13,632

33

7

Chesterfield

4.4

7

30,686

2

£13,791

35

8

Mansfield

4.7

13

36,016

10

£11,217

21

9

Harlow

3.8

2

35,702

9

£13,684

34

10

Southampton

4.2

6

31,839

3

£15,078

37

11

Romford

5.6

25

40,297

17

£9,566

10

12

Darlington

5.2

19

41,689

19

£10,320

15

13

Loughborough

5

17

41,015

18

£10,801

19

14

Glasgow

5.9

27

43,926

20

£9,175

8

15

Oldham

4.6

11

39,462

15

£13,089

29

16

Doncaster

4.5

8

38,335

13

£14,162

36

17

Lincoln

4.7

12

38,393

14

£13,411

31

18

Plymouth

6

30

47,525

24

£9,370

9

19

Stevenage

5.2

20

49,886

31

£9,857

12

20

Poole

5.1

18

35,218

8

£15,153

38