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Land Rover used cars offered dealers the highest margins over the past year according to the Dealer Auction latest Retail Margin Monitor.
The Retail Margin Monitor identifies the highest retail margins seen on used vehicles bought via the Dealer Auction wholesale platform each month.
The Range Rover Evoque took the top spot in December and for the full year, with an annual average retail margin of £3,325.
The Volvo XC60 achieved the second-highest margin over the year (£2,700), followed by the Mercedes-Benz E-Class in third (£2,650).
Luxury derivatives accounted for 100% of the 2023 top 10. Notably, three spots are held by Mercedes-Benz models, with the E-Class followed by the C-Class in sixth place (£2,500) and A-Class in seventh (£2,450).
Dealer Auction marketplace director, Kieran TeeBoon, said: “The top-selling profit-makers were consistent in 2023, with Land Rover continuing to reign supreme and other premium models regularly appearing in the top 10.
“Despite the economic and political headwinds in 2023, it’s clear that there are significant opportunities for stock-savvy dealers to bolster their profit margins and start 2024 on a high.
“The new data adds valuable extra context for dealers, too – for example, the tenth-place BMW 1 Series was the quickest seller of the year.”
2023, Dealer Auction included two new metrics with the Retail Margin Monitor to further support dealers in identifying the most profitable stock for their forecourts. The average ‘Auto Trader days to sell’ reflects the estimated number of days it will take a dealer to sell that vehicle in their local area, while the average ‘Auto Trader Retail Rating’ uses three key metrics1 to determine consumer demand for the vehicle, with a higher score being more desirable. All of which is available on each vehicle listed on Dealer Auction.
At brand level, Land Rover drew the highest profit for the third year running, with an average of £3,400. It was followed by BMW (£2,700) and Mercedes-Benz (£2,575), reflecting the pattern seen in the monthly tables.
Over the year, Land Rover ranked first 11 times, while BMW and Mercedes-Benz held top three spots ten times and six times respectively.
The same premium marques made up the overall top ten in both 2021 and 2022, but there was more diversity in 2023, with a 60:40 split between premium and mainstream makes.