Nearly new cars: March 2025
Fancy the a brand new car but don’t want to pay the full recommended retail price? Save thousands by picking up one of these nearly new cars
If you want the best deal on a new car, buying brand-new is unlikely to get you the best deal, especially as the industry recovers from the pandemic and supply shortages. That's where nearly new cars come in.
The best way to save money on a new car is to look at a nearly new cars. They look and feel like the freshest new models on the market, not to mention still featuring that new-car smell, but they can cost substantially less to buy. What's not to like?
Nearly new cars will have been used to some extent and that might be a problem if you like to know exactly where your car has been.
You'll also have your choice restricted to whatever is available, relying on the taste of others. But, if you can find a car that ticks all of your boxes, you'll likely be able to buy it for far less than the list price.
Nearly new Fiat 500 from £240 a month
The Fiat 500 hardly needs an introduction, as it's been brightening up UK roads with its cheeky retro-modern looks since 2008. Naturally, the 500 has been updated a number of times, mostly to update the car's interior, and features just about enough modern tech to keep it feeling fresh.
Thanks to its tiny size, the 500 is still extremely easy to drive and, importantly, to park in small spaces, while it should be very cheap to run, too. The car's size does mean the 500 is a small on the inside, so look at other budget options like the Dacia Sandero if you carry more than two adults on a regular basis, but for cheap urban transport it's hard to beat.
Fiat 500 1.0 Mild Hybrid 3dr
Price: £14,495 or 47 x £239.59 per month PCP, plus £2,174 deposit
OTR Price: £16,800
Saving: £2,305
Mileage: 10
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Nearly new Dacia Spring from £272 a month
The Dacia Spring is one of the most cost-effective ways of plugging in to the world of EVs, thanks to the fact that it's based on the Renault Kwid, a car designed for emerging markets. That means there are some compromises to make, like the fact that as soon as you sit inside a Spring you can tell quality has been sacrificed to get the sticker price down.
However, the Spring does look pretty sharp, and doesn't scrimp too much on tech, particularly in the higher-spec Extreme we've chosen here.
Dacia Spring 27kWh Extreme 65 48kW 5dr Auto
Price: £14,995 or 47 x £272 per month PCP, plus £2,399 deposit
OTR Price: £16,995
Saving: £2,000
Mileage: 183
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Nearly new MG HS from £247 a month
Thanks to its combination of value, space and even more value, the MG HS is one of the top 10 best-selling cars in the UK. There's a newer, second generation model that's just superseded this one, but the original HS, introduced in 2019 provided the foundations of decent design, useful space and generous equipment levels that have made the HS a hit.
This car is in top-spec Trophy trim, so equipment includes LED lighting, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto-compatible infotainment, plenty of USB ports, ambient lighting and 18-inch alloys. Plus, the HS does suffer from quite significant depreciation, even when the car in question has only covered a single mile.
MG HS 1.5 T-GDI Trophy 5dr
Price: £16,995 or 47 x £247.29 per month PCP, plus £2,549 deposit
OTR Price: £26,530
Saving: £9535
Mileage: 1
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Nearly new Hyundai Bayon from £318 a month
The Hyundai Bayon is the design-forward sibling to the Kona. But while style might be a priority, the Bayon is a sensible choice, too, as it's still practical, it's very well equipped, especially in the top of the range Ultimate trim here, and is powered by a small, efficient petrol engine that should make it cheap to run.
Hyundai Bayon 1.0 TGDi [120] 48V MHEV Ultimate 5dr
Price: £18,903 or 47 x £318.48 per month PCP, plus £2,835 deposit
OTR Price: £25,705
Saving: £6,802
Mileage: 852
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Nearly new SEAT Leon Estate from £333 a month
The SEAT Leon Estate might not be quite as practical as the related Skoda Octavia Estate, but it cuts a more stylish figure and is sharper to drive, too. The enlarged Leon also offers great value for money, as it's really well equipped, and has an interior that feels well made from quality materials.
The car we've picked here is in FR spec, so you get wireless phone charging and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, ambient lighting, LED lights, digital gauges and plenty more. It also pre-dates a model year update, which keeps the price in check.
SEAT Leon Estate 1.0 TSI EVO FR 5dr
Price: £22,500 or 47 x £332.75 per month PCP, plus £3,625 deposit
OTR Price: £28,620
Saving: £6,120
Mileage: 10
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Nearly new Ford Puma from £367 a month
The Ford Puma is one of the UK's best-selling cars, and it's not hard to see why. Sharp to drive yet cheap to run, seriously practical for a relatively small car, and very well equipped, the Puma is a great choice of transport for any small family. This freshly facelifted model in mid-spec ST-Line X trim has a decent discount thrown in, too.
Ford Puma 1.0 EcoBoost Hybrid mHEV ST-Line X 5dr
Price: £23,989 or 47 x £366.84 per month PCP, plus £3,598 deposit
OTR Price: £28,800
Saving: £4,811
Mileage: 15
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Nearly new Renault Symbioz from £398 a month
The Renault Symbioz is yet another entrant in the crowded family SUV class. However, it has a few tricks up its sleeve to stand out. All models are hybrid-only, and all are well equipped - this one is in mid-range Techno Esprit Alpine trim with 19-inch alloys, adaptive cruise control, a power tailgate and heated front seats. A decent all-rounder with a decent discount thrown in, too.
Renault Symbioz 1.6 E-Tech FHEV 145 Techno Esprit Alpine 5dr Auto
Price: £26,995 or 47 x £397.63 per month PCP, plus £4,124 deposit
OTR Price: £31,295
Saving: £4,300
Mileage: 1
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Nearly new Hyundai Tucson Hybrid from £494 a month
The Hyundai Tucson hybrid is a top choice if you are looking for your next family SUV. The extrovert exterior design is certainly there to turn heads, while the interior is a very pleasant place to be and features lots of tech - an uprated stereo and heated steering wheel feature here.
The Tucson is also comfortable and easy to drive, spacious enough for families and should be cheap to run. When new, the Tucson is a little more expensive than some of its rivals, but this deal helps keep a few extra pennies in your pocket.
Hyundai Tucson 1.6 TGDi Hybrid 230 Premium 5dr 2WD Auto
Price: £31,990 or 47 x £494.44 per month PCP, plus £4,798 deposit
OTR Price: £38,490
Saving: £6,500
Mileage: 46
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Nearly new Audi Q3 from £527 a month
The latest Audi Q3 offers almost everything that the bigger Audi Q5 does, like a similar design, close to the same amount of interior space and much of the tech of its larger brother, yet it's yours for £10,000 less. But what if there was more to save? We've spotted a nearly new Q3 in mid-range S Line trim with the more powerful TFSI 40 petrol engine with a decent saving and fewer than 1,000 miles on the clock.
Audi Q3 40 TFSI Quattro S Line 5dr S Tronic
Price: £38,400 or 47 x £526.69 per month PCP, plus £5,760 deposit
OTR Price: £42,950
Saving: £4,550
Mileage: 802
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What are nearly new cars?
Nearly new cars differ from brand new models because they have already been registered by a dealer with the DVLA and have a registration number. A brand new car only gets registered once it's been purchased. What's more, a car that's already been registered by a dealer can't be described as new.
Dealers often register new cars and sell them as nearly new in order to boost sales figures at the end of a month or quarter. This will help them to meet their sales targets set by the manufacturer, which earns the dealer a bonus. Nearly new cars are also described as ex-demo or pre-registered.
The good news is that these cars often represent great value, as they are often heavily discounted to shift them from forecourts. The dealer will likely register very popular models it knows will sell quickly, too.
What is classed as a nearly new car?
There isn't a specific definition of what constitutes a nearly new car, but we categorise them as having fewer than 1000 miles on the clock, and being less than a year old. However, nearly new cars are referred to by a number of different names.
They can be called ex-demonstrator cars, which means the car has been used by the dealer to give potential buyers test drives. This can mean the car has been fitted with a new or particularly significant special feature that can be shown to people deciding on how to spec their new car, like a top-spec infotainment system, which you benefit from as the buyer of the ex-demo car.
Nearly new cars can also be called pre-registered cars. This name tends to be applied to popular models that a dealer knows they will be able to sell quickly that have been registered towards the end of a month or quarter in order to meet sales targets.
Do nearly new cars come with a warranty?
Nearly new cars are still covered by the initial manufacturer warranty, so even if you're looking at a two-year-old Kia, for instance, you'll have as much as five years of cover remaining. Essentially, you're getting nearly all of the benefits of buying a brand-new car, without losing an awful lot and saving huge amounts of money in the process.
However, the clock starts ticking on a warranty as soon as the car is first registered, so bear that in mind if you're buying a low mileage car that happens to be a couple of years old. 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.
Is a nearly new car the same as a pre-registered car?
Nearly new cars differ slightly from pre-registered models, in that 'nearly new' tends to be a term used for all cars that have been registered and are likely to have up to 1000 miles on the clock.
Pre-registered cars are a form of nearly new car that have been assigned a registration number but have almost the same amount of miles on the clock as a brand new car. Both options can mean you can save thousands of pounds - and benefit from a range of flexible finance options. You'll probably still get most of that new car smell, too.
How much can I save on a nearly new car?
The answer to this is hard to put a figure on, as it depends on the type of car you're looking for. As a rule, luxury cars and electric cars tend to lose a lot more value when they're registered, so discounts can be bigger.
If you're looking to save the most, we'd recommend looking for nearly new cars in 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.
Nearly new bargains can also be found 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.