If you’re looking to sell your current car, you may be wondering how to increase your car’s resale value! You’ll be glad to know that there are easy ways in which you can increase the value of your car without breaking the bank! A higher resale value of your car means you could get more money when selling or part exchanging your car and can help to make car finance deals cheaper! Let’s take a look at our top 8 ways to easily increase the value of your car.
How to increase the resale value of your car:
1. Give your car a good clean.
This one may seem pretty obvious but you can easily increase the value of your car by giving it a little TLC. Whether you choose to give your car a clean at home or pay someone to valet your car, it doesn’t matter. As long as your car is looking sparkling clean and free from any rubbish or personal items you don’t really need to keep in there, you can help to make it look and feel instantly better! First impressions matter to potential buyers and a good clean also makes photos of your car look even better.
2. Repair any dents, scrapes or scuffs.
If you clean your car yourself, it’s a great time to identify any scrapes, dents or scuffs that are affecting the value of your car. It can be worth spending a little bit of money to repair any bodywork on your vehicle that isn’t up to scratch. Dealers or private buyers can use scrapes and dents as a reason to lower the value of your car so it can be worth fixing them before you’re ready to sell.
3. Reduce your mileage.
If you’re really serious about getting more money for your car when you sell it, you could consider reducing your mileage in the run-up to the sale. A higher mileage car can be cheaper to buy because it’s more likely to encounter technical issues in the future. People who are looking to buy a second-hand car will want cars with lower mileage so it can be worth keeping an eye on how often you’re racking up miles on the clock.
3. Reduce your mileage.
If you’re really serious about getting more money for your car when you sell it, you could consider reducing your mileage in the run-up to the sale. A higher mileage car can be cheaper to buy because it’s more likely to encounter technical issues in the future. People who are looking to buy a second-hand car will want cars with lower mileage so it can be worth keeping an eye on how often you’re racking up miles on the clock.
4. Have your car serviced.
When you’re in the market for a used car, you may be worried about the history of the car you’re buying, especially if you’re getting your first car and aren’t sure what you’re looking for! One way in which you can reduce worry for buyers and increase the value of your car is to have a car service and MOT booked and performed just before you sell. This helps to identify any issue with the vehicle and have them fixed which helps to instil more trust with the buyer and give them that added peace of mind.
5. Recharge your air conditioning.
Over time your car’s air conditioning can lose its effectiveness and whilst, the weather in the UK is pretty unpredictable, it’s a necessity for many drivers. A simple recharge or regas of your air-con can help to increase the value of your car. It’s a check that many potential buyers will do when looking over a car so it’s handy to know. You can do it yourself at home with the right equipment but it can be a bit fiddly. Our best advice would be to have a specialist at a garage do this for you.
6. Buy new tyres.
Not only can worn tyres put potential buyers off but they can also be costing you to use more fuel too. Visibly worn tyres can reduce your grip on the road, uses more fuel and can be illegal. So, investing in new tyres before you sell can help to increase the resale value of your car and also provide a better and safer driving experience for the next owner of your vehicle.
7. Restore your paintwork.
The colour of your car will deteriorate over time or you could have picked up a few scrapes whilst you’ve owned the car. If this is the case, it can be a good idea to get your car re-sprayed or even wrapped before you sell it to make sure it’s looking its best. Whilst it can increase your car’s value massively, it can be expensive to respray a full car. Instead, you could consider having a garage fix any small paintwork defects instead to help keep costs low. Remember, you can’t modify a car on finance in any way without the lender’s permission and we would only recommend painting a car that you own outright.
8. Get your paperwork together.
When you are looking to buy a used car, you want to know the car’s history so it’s down to you as the seller, to provide all relevant documents that buyers will need. You should always have your vehicle logbook (V5), any invoice recipes, MOT certificates and service book to hand to give to new buyers or to show them when they take a look at your car.
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