How to... save a packet on a pre-reg - So what's the catch?

You might think that a pre-reg represents a world of woe. You could be forgiven for thinking that it's a nearly new car or even a dodgy old demonstrator that dealers are trying to offload on unsuspecting car buyers.

It's not. This is a perfectly new factory-fresh car but it's only really different to a 'new car' because it already has a number plate. It's already been registered – hence the term 'pre-reg'.

Don't be put off. It will be in perfect condition and should only have delivery mileage on the clock, making it, to all intents and purposes, a 'new' car.

The only real giveaway is the V5C registration document: you'll see that it already has one owner and it's most likely to be in the dealer's name.

As our research has shown, this is a great way of picking up new car with a massive discount and in some instances you might not even wait for it to be delivered because it's already on the garage forecourt.