When is the best time to buy a new car?

Getting a good deal on a new or used car can depend on the time of year you buy it. Keeping an eye on the calendar so you can take advantage of seasonal factors affecting the car trade and take advantage of the best month to buy a car is the best thing to do.

If you are looking for the best time of year to buy a car, below are some dates to bear in mind.

Best time to buy new

In February and August dealers offer some real bargains, while sales are slow as buyers wait for the new number plates coming in March and September. But If you take advantage of this, your ‘older’ number plates will make your car seem older than it really is, so it will depreciate faster.

Wait a few months after launch before buying a new model – by then there will be less showroom buzz about it so the dealer might well offer you a better deal!

Find out when new models or ‘face-lifted’ existing models are due out, then buy the previous version during its last few weeks in the showroom. Dealers will be want to shift this stock and it is a good bargaining tool for that reason alone.

Convertibles are more desirable in the summer, so there might be bargains to be had in the winter time?

At the end of each quarter – particularly the end of June and December – dealers might be keen to hit their quarterly sales targets and more likely to offer you a good deal on vehicles they have available.