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22 articles
Most buyers scroll straight past the number plate on a used car advert. That's a mistake — the registration is a free, five-minute fact check that can confirm the car's age, flag an odd transfer and occasionally tell you the photo doesn't match the paperwork. Here's what to look at, and what a plate genuinely can't tell you.
A used car can be valeted until it gleams, but the seatbelts are often left well alone. A quick pull, a look at the webbing and a check of the retraction can reveal crash repairs, replacements and neglected safety kit. Here is how to do it in seconds without turning a viewing into an interrogation.
Two used cars can leave the same factory, share the same engine and suspension, and still sit £3,000 apart on the forecourt. Here's how to work out whether the cheaper badge is a smart buy or a false economy.
A used car can be freshly valeted and still give the game away through its scent. Here’s how to use your nose properly on a cold, wet viewing day — and which whiffs are a haggling point rather than a hard no.
Crash ratings tell you a used car is safe, not whether your pushchair fits in the boot or your child seat reaches the ISOFIX points. Here's a practical fifteen-minute forecourt checklist for family buyers who want a car that works on an ordinary school run.
A used car's infotainment system is a second history file. Here is what to check on the screen before you buy, how to read the clues sensibly, and how to wipe your own data afterwards.
Paying for a used car and driving it home are two separate events, and the gap between them is where plenty of buyers come unstuck. Here's how replacement cover, temporary policies and the 'any car' clause actually work — and what to confirm before the keys change hands.
Cat S and Cat N cars can be the best value on the forecourt or the most expensive mistake in the car park — the difference is almost never the badge, it is the paperwork and the panel gaps. Here is how to read a repaired write-off properly, from insurance and finance to airbag lights and alignment sheets, before you hand over a deposit.
Plenty of buyers think there's a blanket two-day window to hand back a used car they've changed their mind about. There isn't. Here's how the rules actually split between forecourt deals, online purchases, private sales and anything with finance attached — and what to nail down before you sign.
Tread depth gets all the attention, but the four-digit DOT code on a tyre's sidewall can tell you far more about what you're actually buying. Here's a quick forecourt audit with a torch and a phone — no ramp required.
A used car can look clean, drive straight and still belong to a finance company rather than the person selling it. Here's how to check for outstanding finance, what a proper settlement letter contains, and the paperwork worth keeping once the money has changed hands.
A five-minute look under the boot carpet can tell you more about a used car's real-world readiness than a shiny set of alloys. Here's how to check the spare, jack, brace, locking key and repair kit — and what a missing piece is actually worth at the negotiating table.
A three-month warranty sounds like a warm blanket. Sometimes it is closer to a tea towel. Here is how to read the wording before you sign, so you know what is actually covered when a warning light comes on.
A missing spare key is one of the easiest things to overlook at a used-car viewing — and one of the simplest to turn into a bargaining chip. Here is how to test every key, spot if the security has been patched together, and put a realistic number on replacement costs before you sign.
A warning light ten miles after collection is stressful, but it is not the end of the story. Here is a plain-English look at the 30-day right to reject, repairs versus refunds, and how to raise an early fault without turning it into a standoff.
A VIN check costs less than a tank of fuel and takes minutes, but it only pays off if you know what you are looking at. Here is where to find the number, which six checks actually matter, and the one thing no database can tell you.
A V5C is a DVLA record, not a receipt — but it can still tell you plenty before you agree a price. Here are the logbook details worth asking about, the ones that are usually harmless, and how to use both to negotiate fairly in November 2026.
A big part-exchange figure can feel like a win, but the only number that matters is the cost to change. Here’s how forecourt trade-in values are built and how to negotiate without losing out.
A holding deposit can be a sensible way to pause a sale while you check insurance, finance or arrange an inspection. It can also be £200 that vanishes because nobody wrote down what it was for. Here is how to make a reservation mean something.
A £5,000 car can quietly become a £7,000 car by the time you have insured it, taxed it, tyred it and sorted the jobs the advert skipped. Here is the honest forecourt maths for comparing two used cars on first-year cost, not just windscreen price.
A stamped service book is not proof of a well-loved car, and a missing year is not automatically a disaster. Here is how to read stamps, invoices and mileage records like a mechanic so you can put a fair value on the paperwork.
Used-car adverts are written to sell, not to spill the beans. Here is how to read the claims, demand the paperwork and spot the gaps before you hand over any money.