The best place to buy a used car: The cheapest UK cities for second-hand vehicles revealed

Belfast has been named the UK’s cheapest city for used cars as drivers face unprecedented increases in second-hand prices.

Average prices in the Northern Irish city were found to be more than £1,500 (nearly 8%) lower than the UK average, in sharp contrast to some cities where buyers pay up to £2,000 more.

Used car prices have rocketed over the past two years, with Auto Trader reporting that average second-hand values are now £4,400 more than they were in early 2020.

Huge pressure on the new car market caused by a parts shortage has combined with a renewed interest in private transport post-lockdown to drive up demand for used vehicles. As a result, the price of second-hand cars has gone up around the country, adding to the growing financial pressures caused by rising fuel, tax and insurance costs.

However, new research has revealed that huge variations between cities exist, with some drivers paying thousands more than others for the same car.

The study looked at the 10 most popular used cars of 2021 and compared prices for models up to three years old and with fewer than 20,000 miles on the clock.

It found that across the 63 largest cities in the UK, the average price was £19,747 but that some drivers were paying 10% more while others, such as those in Belfast were saving almost 8%.

While Belfast was the cheapest location, with an average price of £18,212, Bradford was close behind with its average £18,396 asking price 6.8% lower than the average.

Buyers in Huddersfield also saved more than £1,000 compared with the national and Yorkshire proved to be the region with the best used car prices overall, with York, Leeds and Barnsley all also among the 10 locations with the best prices.

In stark contrast, Basildon was found to have the most expensive used cars, with the average £21,828 asking price 10.5% or £2,081 higher than the national average.