New car discounts reach £16.8 million as dealers look to attract buyers

The UK's new car market may be down, but that means savvy buyers can take advantage of increased discounts from dealers...

Vauxhall Astra, Seat Leon, Volkswagen Passat, Suzuki Baleno

Dealers have increased new car discounts by more than 10% since February in a bid to maintain sales, research by What Car? has found. The move equates to savings of £16.8 million off manufacturer list prices across the market. 

Analysis of the UK new car market by What Car? Target Price mystery shoppers found the average discount on a new car at the end of May stood at 7.9%, or £2595 off the list price.

The latest May new car registrations figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows the UK new car market is down 3.1% for the year compared with the first five months of 2018.

Dealers are offering larger discounts to counter the decline in sales. Across all manufacturers, Citroën was found to be offering the best cash discounts on its vehicles, with 12.8% off the list price. Volkswagen and Seat dealers are offering the second and third highest price reductions, at 11.5% and 11.0% respectively.

Estate cars, MPVs and luxury cars came with the highest discounts, at an average of 10.3% across the three segments, while the typical discount on SUVs, hot hatches and sports cars were all below 6%.

Below and over the next few pages, we'll take you through the biggest Target Price discounts available at the moment.

The 10 largest Target Price discounts

10. Suzuki Baleno 1.0 Boosterjet SZ-T

Suzuki Baleno

Target Price saving: 17.3%

The Baleno is cheap to buy and surprisingly spacious for such a small car, plus it performed very well in our True MPG fuel economy tests. Even this entry-level SZ-T version comes with air conditioning, 16in alloy wheels and sat-nav.

Read our full Suzuki Baleno review or see our latest deals


9. Volkswagen Sharan 2.0 TDI SCR 150 SE Nav

Volkswagen Sharan

Target Price saving: 17.5%

If you need seven seats, the Sharan will suit you well. It has a strong range of engines and you get plenty of equipment for your money.

Read our full Volkswagen Sharan review or see our latest deals


8. Seat Leon 1.5 TSI Evo SE

Seat Leon

Target Price saving: 18.6%

The Leon is an appealing family hatchback that offers tidy handling, low running costs and plenty of equipment on most trim levels. There's more wind and road noise than you'll hear in rivals, but it's an interesting alternative to many of the class leaders.

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