Best Nearly New Car Deals - November 2023

Nearly new cars and pre-registered cars from trusted dealers are a great way to save you money. We pick the best nearly new cars we've found on sale 

If you're after a nearly new car then you've come to the right place. Although stocks of new and used cars are still more limited than usual, we've searched high and low to find the best deals on nearly new cars in the UK. 

Of course, most of us would like a new car, but going for a nearly new car makes a lot of sense. Yes, you may not be able to choose the colour and exact specification, but you'll benefit by saving a hefty amount of cash compared to the list price of a new car. And as a nearly new car, you still get the majority of the new car warranty.

There's also the fact you can skip the waiting list. So rather than waiting several months for your new car, you can get behind the wheel straight away. Nearly new cars tend to have a few hundred miles on the clock, so you'll still get to enjoy that new car experience (and new car smell).

Need some help choosing what car to buy? Check out our in depth car reviews. We also have plenty of useful advice on how to buy a new car and Approved Used schemes.

Elsewhere, we've covered all you need to know about selling or part exchanging your old car. We can also help save money on car insurance and assist you in finding the best value breakdown recovery

For more inspiration check out our best car guides.

What is a nearly new car?

A nearly new car is one that has been registered by a dealer with the DVLA so it has been assigned a registration number. This is different to buying a brand new car where it’s only registered when you buy it.

There are various reasons why a dealer might have a nearly new car for sale, but the most common is to boost their sales figures at the end of a month or quarter to meet their target set by the manufacturer, which earns the dealer a bonus. Most dealers know they can easily sell nearly new cars, hence why most nearly new cars are the most popular models and versions, in other words, those in demand.

There is no age limit on what can be described as a nearly new car, but almost all will be less than six months old and have less than 200 miles on the odometer. Some dealers will also describe a nearly-new car as 'pre-reg' an ‘ex-demo’ or ‘delivery miles only’. If it has a V5C logbook, it’s been registered and cannot be advertised or described as new.

Is a nearly new car still essentially a 'new' car?

No is the straight answer. Because it’s been registered by the dealer, so the clock has started to tick on the warranty and when its first MoT will be due. When you buy a nearly-new car, your name will go down as the second owner on the V5C logbook document, so any subsequent buyer will also know you were not the first registered keeper.

The biggest impact this has for you is when you come to sell, as many buyers prefer a one-owner history on cars up to around four years old. However, you can offset this by paying less for a nearly new car that’s identical in every other way to a brand new one.

Discounts on nearly new cars range from 5% to 30% depending on the make, model and specification. You should also bear in mind that a dealer will be keen to sell a nearly new car as it’s getting older by the day and - as a result - depreciating in value.

Does a nearly new car have a full warranty?

When a car is first registered, its warranty begins to count down to whatever the specified time limit is. If a nearly new car has been sat around on a forecourt for several months, that means you only get the balance of what’s left rather than the full term that comes with a new car.

It’s also worth remembering that some warranty and breakdown packages only apply to the first keeper, so check with the dealer that these benefits will be transferred to you.

When is the best time to buy nearly new cars?

The most likely times to find a dealer with a stock of nearly new cars is March or September when the number plate changes. This is when dealers want to shift the greatest number of cars to earn their sales bonuses, so pre-registering cars is common to boost those figures. Visiting a dealer a few days after the start of these months can yield plenty of nearly new cars going at keen prices.

Dealers also have monthly targets to achieve, so a visit at the beginning of any month may well find several nearly new cars lingering that were registered to meet the previous month’s target.

Another happy hunting time for nearly new bargains is when a particular model is about to be replaced by a new version. Dealers don’t want old generation versions hanging around and taking up space they need for the all-new car, so they’ll be keen to strike a deal on any nearly new cars. If you’re happy with the outgoing model rather than the very latest model, it’s an opportunity to haggle for a very good deal.

One other place to find nearly new cars are some of the larger car supermarkets. If a dealer has ended up with a large number of nearly new cars it needs to sell in a hurry, they sometimes pass them on to car supermarkets to save themselves the hassle.

What should you look for when buying a nearly new car?

As you are not the first keeper of a nearly new car, there are some things to bear in mind. First, make sure the dealer selling the car is the registered owner and not a private individual as this would make it a used car and worth considerably less.

Also, when you buy the car, make sure you have the Section 10 ‘New Keepers’ part of the logbook to prove your ownership until a full registration document is sent to you. The dealer must send the rest to the DVLA.

Second, when insuring a nearly new car, it should be straightforward. However, as the car is not brand new in the eyes of an insurance company, they may not offer a ‘new for old’ replacement in the first 12 months of ownership in the event of the car being written-off. That could mean you being out of pocket and left looking for a used car instead of a new one.

Finally, some finance companies will not offer a loan for a nearly new car as they only deal with brand new models. Others might not give their best deals as they reserve those for new car buyers and your name is not the first in the logbook.

Are nearly new cars and pre-reg cars the same thing?

Yes is the short answer. The only confusion is when ex-demo cars are added into the mix. Ex-demo cars might well have been driven on the road and are likely to have higher mileages than you'd expect from a nearly new car.

What are ex-demo cars?

An ex-demo car will often be a very attractive option because they tend to be highly specified. Dealers do this because they want to show off as many possible options to new buyers in one vehicle. That can include higher specification, upgraded infotainment and tech plus plenty of options and option packs. They also tend to come with the most popular engine and transmission because dealers know most people will ask to drive that version.

When a dealer comes to sell an ex-demo car, they can describe it as nearly new but it’s likely to be older and have a higher mileage than most nearly new cars. This is because the dealer will have kept the car for test drives and it may be up to six months old. The upside to this is it should be sold at considerably less than a brand new model and ex-demos are generally kept in a good condition.