Private used car buyers risk £6bn a year by gambling on unchecked cars

Vehicle history data from the RAC reveals that nine out of 10 motorists are taking on unnecessary risk when it comes to vetting the next car in their life, as just 10% of used car buyers bother to check a car’s history before buying.

With 2.8m* used cars sold privately every year that means that over 2.5m are being bought without checking into their past history. With the average value of a car up for private sale at £2,465* that means that buyers are spending over £6.1bn each year on used cars that may have nasty secrets lurking in their pasts.

The data from the RAC Car Passport service showed that out of a sample of over 21,000 checks almost one quarter (23%) highlighted serious issues with a vehicle’s history that should be of significant concern to any buyer. These included: one in eight with outstanding finance (12.5%); one in 10 (9.4%) which had been recorded as an insurance write-off; one in 100 (0.8%) which had a colour change; one in 1,000 recorded as having been scrapped (0.1%); and one in 2,000 that were marked as stolen (0.05%).

Issue

Number

Percentage

Rate

Outstanding finance

2,655

12.59%

1 in 8

Insurance write off

1,977

9.37%

1 in 10

Change of colour

180

0.85%

1 in 100

Scrapped

24

0.11%

1 in 1000

Stolen

10

0.05%

1 in 2000

Number plate change

5,815

27.57%

1 in 4

Mileage discrepancies

1,078

5.11%

1 in 20

Import/export

132

0.63%

1 in 200

No issue/clean car

9,224

43.73%

2 in 5

Total

21,095

A separate study of drivers who had purchased an RAC Car Passport data check** found that one in three (33%) decided not to purchase the car they were looking at based on the information they received in the report. These savvy buyers potentially saved thousands of pounds by avoiding buying a ‘lemon’ – the term used to describe a vehicle with a pre-existing fault or suspect history – simply by running the 60-second online check.

Happily, two thirds (67%) of motorists went on to buy the vehicle that they had originally been smitten by after completing the check and almost half (48%) of these had the confidence to complete the deal in under 48 hours.

Car data checks such as the RAC Car Passport raise alerts which should make a potential buyer think twice about buying the car and demand a clear explanation and paper trail to explain the issue.

RAC Car Passport managing director Robert Diamond said: “These figures reveal the risks used-car buyers are taking by not obtaining a simple car data check to uncover any suspect history their intended purchase may be hiding. Buying a car can be a stressful experience because of the sums of money involved so it makes sense to find out as much as you can about a car’s history as it may just save you thousands of pounds.

“The RAC Car Passport is a wise investment because it gives buyers greater insight into a car’s past, enabling them to either proceed with their purchase with confidence or back out without getting their fingers burned. Our analysis of shows very clearly that a significant number of people have done the latter by using the information in the RAC Car Passport report to avoid buying a ‘lemon’ – saving them a great deal of money and stress in the process.”

Here’s a list of typical car data check alerts and advice on how to address them:

  • Outstanding finance – make sure the seller has paid off the finance in full and ask them to re-run the RAC Car Passport check to prove it
  • Written off – here you need to know your ABC (and D!). There are four classes of ‘write off’ – category A and B shouldn’t be on the road and are illegal to drive – avoid and report it! C and D mean that it wasn’t financially worthwhile for an insurance company to repair the damage – you may grab yourself a bargain but proceed with caution and get a professional vehicle inspection first
  • Colour change – this may just mean a change in fashion – but more often it means a re-spray after an accident. Again, get a professional inspection before you buy
  • Imports – while only one in 200 cars checked by the RAC Car Passport were identified as imports, they require a much closer inspection of the paper trail as imported cars require specific documentation

As well as car data checks, the RAC also provides a vehicle inspection service. This consists of two levels – an Essentials package from £99 and Essentials Plus from £175 which includes a full mechanical and structural inspection, an underbody check, full interior check, an extended road test and 307 checks.

Press office team

Press office team

For journalist enquiries only

Share

Latest News

Website preview
Maddened by maintenance? Quarter of drivers see car servicing and repairs as a hassle
‘Repairs rigmarole’ solved with RAC’s nationwide network of mobile mechanics who can service and repair vehicles at home or work
media.rac.co.uk
Website preview
Second month of lower fuel prices as petrol and diesel fall by 2p a litre in April
RAC calls for further cuts at the pumps to reflect lower wholesale costs
media.rac.co.uk
Website preview
RAC rolls out mechanic apprenticeships nationwide in industry first
Students across England can now become patrols or RAC Mobile Mechanics through the ‘RAC Academy’
media.rac.co.uk

Get updates in your mailbox

By clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy.

About RAC Media Centre

The RAC Media Centre provides journalists and news outlets with the latest motoring-related news, comment, data and research.

The RAC is an iconic UK brand, and provides complete peace of mind to nearly 14 million UK private and business drivers - whatever their motoring needs. As well as its premium nationwide breakdown assistance service – with an expert branded patrol workforce attending more than two million breakdowns every year – and European breakdown assistance products, it offers a wide range of market-leading products across insurance, legal services, vehicle inspections and service, maintenance and repair. Included in this is the first-of-its-kind nationwide Mobile Mechanics service which brings the garage to homes and workplaces. 

At the forefront of new solutions for business fleets and consumers, the RAC’s breakdown service is electric-ready with mobile EV charging technology and be called on using myRAC – its all-in-one route planner, fuel finder and breakdown reporting app