Buying a new car online can save you money

The race is on as motorists vie to be amongst the first to drive off the forecourts with new 56 car registration plate.

September 1 is expected to see almost 420,000 consumers behind the wheel of a new car.

However, opting to purchase a new vehicle via a high street dealer could mean paying over the odds. Instead buying a new car online could save as much as £7,500 on the price of a car such as the new Audi A4 Saloon.

moneysupermarket.com looked at the most searched-for cars on its website and revealed a saving of £4,995 between the list price of a new Volkswagen Golf Hatchback (£15,995) and buying the same car online at moneysupermarket.com (£11,000).

John Sexton, head of cars at moneysupermarket.com, said: “Consumers are getting savvier about shopping online for many things, such as financial products, groceries and holidays, but when it comes to buying a new car some people are still hesitant to look online, preferring to visit their local dealer instead.

“Buying online is really the best way to save money as many ‘high-street’ dealers often won’t negotiate enough on new cars to reach a competitive price. As our research shows, in some cases you can expect to knock a staggering 38 percent from the list price when searching online, saving you literally thousands on your dream car.”