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Dealer Auction has named the most profitable cars in its Retail Margin Monitor for April.
Premium brands delivered strong returns. This is demonstrated by third-place BMW, with an average retail margin of £2,950. Its 5 and 3 series models ranked third (£3,400) and fourth (£3,050) in the model top 10.
Three Land Rover’s featured on the list. The Discovery Sport (£5,000), with the highest estimated profit so far this year and just short of the highest-ever margin achieved (the Land Rover Discovery 4 with £5,100 in August 2022).
The Range Rover Evoque followed (£3,825) and the Freelander 2 appeared for the first time since July 2023 in tenth spot (£2,590).
The Mazda CX-5 was the fastest-selling profit-turner in April and the fastest in 2024 so far (31 days on average).
The only mainstream model was the Ford S-MAX, which appeared for the third time.
TeeBoon said: “The overall top 10 remains monopolised by premium brands. However, it could indicate seasonal shifts in consumer preferences towards family-oriented models.
“With so many different forces at play in the used car market, there could well be potential for family cars to carve out a significant share in the summer market.”
Jaguar re-entered the top 10 brands in second place (£3,300), after being absent from the list for seven months. Škoda joined the top 10 brands for the first time this year, ranking tenth (£2,225).
Kieran TeeBoon, Dealer Auction’s marketplace director, said: “Jaguar’s resurgence after a seven-month hiatus demonstrates the importance of staying on top of changing consumer demand.
“Jaguar has always been a big profit turner, but this month it hit our units sold threshold, indicating rekindled buyer interest. Whether this marks a lasting trend remains to be seen, but it certainly prompts a closer examination of shifting market dynamics.”