Where to buy a car

While a traditional car showroom is still a perfectly good place to pick up a new car, it’s not always the best option.

The range may be limited, perhaps to a single manufacturer (in the case of franchised ‘main’ dealers), and you’ll probably have to haggle to avoid paying over the odds.

Instead, you could visit a large car ‘supermarket’ to view a broad range of makes and models in one place, often sold at low prices. Or you could use an online car-buying service that lets dealers ‘bid’ for your business by sending you their best prices.

In this guide, we explain the pros and cons of each option.

Not sure which car to buy? Check out our pick of the best cars for 2024.

Buying from an online car-buying service

Pros

• Usually no haggling required
• Choose from almost any make and model
• Order the exact specification you want
• Cars sourced from reputable dealers or direct from the manufacturer
• You can order from your sofa

Cons

• Generally only offer used cars
• Contact or progress information may be limited
• Don’t usually offer a part-exchange service
• You may still end up dealing with the dealer, either to iron out the options you want, or to arrange delivery

As with most other products, you can now buy a car entirely online. Companies such as Carwow, Carshop and Cinch either hold their own stock or will connect with a network of dealers to find the model you're after. In most cases, the car will be delivered to your door or can be picked up at a local dealership.

Verdict: Increasingly popular and certainly convenient, but check exactly what the process is and test-drive cars before you commit.

Buying a car from a franchised dealer

Pros

• Face-to-face service
• Order the exact specification you want if buying new
• High quality new and used cars to look at and test-drive
• Easy to part exchange your old car

Cons

• Expensive – but haggle hard and you can usually get a fair discount
• Choice may be limited to models from a single brand
• Selling your old car privately usually beats part-exchange values
• Dealers may push unnecessary insurance or finance add-ons

Customer service counts for a lot, which is where the large, well-funded franchised ‘main’ dealers often excel – and they know if they deliver a good service customers are likely to return to have their new car serviced there, or when they’re in the market for another one.

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However, dealers may pressure you to buy a car on the spot and sign up for optional extras. They’re also likely to focus on keeping the cost of the car itself as high as possible, doing their best to avoid giving too generous a discount.

So if signing the dotted line at a dealership, make sure you know exactly what you want from your car, be wary of dodgy insurance extras and be prepared to do some serious haggling.

Verdict: If you’re going to buy from a franchised dealer, make sure you know what you want in advance. Be prepared to haggle.

Buying from a car supermarket

Pros

• Very competitive prices – especially compared with main dealers
• Lots of makes and models on one site
• Test drives often available
• Most offer finance packages
• Drive the car away the same day

Cons

• Choice depends on what’s in stock
• New cars may be imports, so check for full UK specification
• Clock will already be running on pre-registered cars’ warranties

Car supermarkets are a growing threat to established car dealers. Their stock is mainly used, though many also sell factory-fresh and pre-registered cars with very low mileage. Examples include Motorpoint (branches nationwide) and Cargiant (London based). They're a good place to see and test-drive a wide variety of cars, but warranties (beyond any remaining manufacturer warranty) are typically an added extra.

Verdict: Convenient and fast, but mainly cover used or nearly new cars, and you can’t usually order a new car to your precise specifications.

Car finance explained: from leasing to hire purchase and beyond, discover the different ways to finance a car purchase.

Buying a car from a broker

Pros

• You can save on main dealer prices
• Most source cars from other UK dealers, so it’s easy to compare prices and specs
• You can usually order the specification you want
• One-stop shop for many different makes and models

Cons

• No test drives available and limited personal contact
• Some models can have greater discounts on traditional classified sites
• Delivery times and fees can vary – check up front
• Not many offer a part-exchange service
• Sometimes unclear if a car is truly ‘new’ or a pre-registered example – check where the car is being sourced from before buying

Tell a broker what car you want, and they’ll go off and buy it for you. That means avoiding the dealership and, therefore, no haggling. A good broker will get you the car you want and save you thousands off the list price. Some brokers only operate online, but many allow you to call up and speak to an adviser.

For peace of mind, you may also want to do a check on the broker you intend to use. Search for the company online and check customer experiences on forums such as Money Saving Expert to find details of previous customers’ experiences. Big brokers include Broadspeed, Carfile and Drive The Deal.

Verdict: A good option to outsource any haggling if you don’t potentially mind waiting a bit for the car to arrive. Ensure you know exactly what you want before ordering.

Buying from a manufacturer

Pros

• The manufacturer deals with every aspect of your order
• You can receive your car in very little time
• Some discounts can still be applied by the manufacturer
• All cars are factory-fresh
• There’s no need to haggle as prices are fixed

Cons

• You still have to visit a dealer for test drives and servicing
• Each manufacturer will only sell their own cars
• Any discounts applied may be very limited

Some car manufacturers (such as Tesla, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz) offer the ability to buy a car directly from their site, but it’s unlikely you’ll get an opportunity to negotiate the price so it can be an expensive way to buy a car.

They sell their cars using something called an ‘agency model’, where the brand controls the price it sells all of its cars at. It’s proved to be a controversial way of selling cars, though, as it can reduce competition between individual dealers and can be an impersonal experience.

Verdict: A very fast way to get a new car, even though it may not be the cheapest way to get behind the wheel of a new car.

Buying from classified websites

The biggest of these is Auto Trader. The sheer volume of cars on offer means you’ll have plenty to compare, and even buyers after rare models should be catered for.

Other sites include AA Cars and RAC Cars, who both inspect a small percentage of the cars offered by dealers with listings on their sites.

As with selective classified websites, traditional classified websites are a place for dealers (and private sellers) to advertise the cars – and they are essentially a free-for-all so you could find dodgy back-street dealer cars alongside ones for sale through franchised main dealers. However, they're also the best place to pick up a bargain.

With classified sites, it’s important to remember that if a car’s price looks too good to be true, then it probably is. And if you buy from a private seller, you’ll have little legal recourse if it turns out to be a banger – so proceed with caution.

Interested in buying a used car? We show you everything you need to consider in our guide to buying the best used car.