What Car? Q&A - How much discount should I get?

Q: Generally speaking, how much discount on the list price on a new car should I expect to be able to negotiate – is 10% reasonable? I am looking at cars costing around £12,000. Also, I am looking to part-exchange my car and expect it to be worth around £5600 – will this influence the deal.
Mandy Gould

A: It will depend entirely on the car – that’s why What Car? lists our Target Price for every car on sale.

The Target Price is the most you should be paying for a new car, so aim to get a larger discount than what's quoted.

Target Price can be found online at whatcar.com and in the back of the magazine each month.

Certain models – like the Mini – are in high demand, so you’ll be lucky to negotiate more than about 1% off the price.

On the other hand, models like the Citroen C4 or Renault Megane can be picked up for around 15% less than the brochure price.

Beware, though. The dealer might offer you a big discount on your new car, but tell you your old one is worth less than you thought. It’s a common trick used by salesmen to fool car buyers into thinking they’re getting a great deal.

Check the trade-in price of your current car at the valuations section of whatcar.com by clicking here, or in the What Car? Used Price Guide.

Don’t let the salesmen knock you down on price.

Subtract this fair value for your car from the Target Price of the car you want to buy to get the lowest ‘cost to change’.