Glass’s Guide remains the dominant force in used car valuations

In an independent survey commissioned by EurotaxGlass’s, 91 per cent of car dealers said they refer to Glass’s Guide before purchasing used cars, and 80 per cent use the Guide when determining appropriate values for vehicles they plan to sell. This puts Glass’s Guide well ahead of its nearest rival, which is used by 52 per cent of dealers for buying, and by 31 per cent for selling used cars.

When choosing a preferred used car pricing guide, a large majority considered ‘coverage of the vehicle parc’ (77 per cent) and ‘ease-of-use’ (70 per cent) to be of ‘high importance’. Among other factors, just over half (52 per cent) of the respondents rated ‘adjustability’ to be of high importance, and 45 per cent attached the same significance to ‘portability’.

When it comes to advertising used cars for sale, the respondents to the EurotaxGlass’s survey use a wide variety of outlets, with local press, the dealer’s own website and third-party websites being the most popular.

As well as printed valuation Guides, the research indicates that a growing number of dealers use online vehicle marketing sources to cross-reference actual asking prices online with those indicated in their printed or PC-based pricing guides. The survey found that the Auto Trader website was the most widely-used of these websites.

EurotaxGlass’s is well placed to support dealers in their efforts to investigate real-world asking prices. The company has teamed up with AutoTrader to create Stock Profile Intelligence (SPi), a unique service that enables car retailers to discover how competitively their used car stock is priced within their local area. The service also reports on expressions of interest from prospective used car buyers searching for vehicles advertised online.

The survey was carried out by Autointel using an online questionnaire, collating responses from 648 franchised and independent used car dealers.

“Glass’s Guide has long been regarded as an essential tool for businesses involved in buying and selling used cars in the UK, and this survey underlines its place as the most respected and authoritative source of valuation data in the UK,” comments Alan Henson, Commercial Manager at EurotaxGlass’s.