Few of us enjoy haggling, let alone with a car salesman to get the best deal on a new motor. 

But what if you knew exactly how much they were willing to come down on the price before even stepping foot into the showroom?

Exclusive discount insight shared with Money Mail reveals just how much you should really be paying for popular new models – and being armed with this key information before you start negotiating could save you thousands of pounds.

Pat Hoy, founder of Insider Car Deals, has compiled a database of the discounts buyers can get on vehicles sold across the UK.

Thanks to his decades working in the motor trade, he has access to information from manufacturers and showroom networks on the current prices that they can go down to.

Plus, he has a team of mystery shoppers who are testing the resolve of car sales staff up and down the country every day.

Of the two million new cars entering our roads last year, almost two in five – representing nearly 800,000 motors – were purchased privately by customers.

The vast majority of these vehicles would have bought by drivers in showrooms who struck a deal with a salesman or woman.

But for those who are unskilled or uncomfortable to haggle over price, it means plenty would have not got the best possible deal, had they been able to press dealership staff harder for an improved discount. 

How much money can you really save?

Drivers can save up to a fifth on the advertised price in car showrooms when buying one of the UK's ten best-selling motors in 2025, according to Pat and his team.

However, this is only if you put the squeeze on a salesman.

Find out the most you should pay for a new car

Insider Car Deals helps car buyers understand what new cars are really selling for based on independent research and real-world mystery shopping - not dealer adverts or headline offers.

If you already have a quote from a dealer, Insider Car Deals lets you sense-check it quickly, showing whether the price you've been offered is weak, average or genuinely strong. That insight can make a big difference when you're deciding whether to accept a deal or push back.

Buyers use the service to negotiate more confidently, armed with a Deal Sheet showing a realistic target price and how much discount is typically achievable on their chosen model - or simply to check they're not paying over the odds.

In many cases, this leads to significant extra savings beyond advertised offers - often far more than the cost of the service itself.

Buyers can access this insight through a personalised Personal Deal Sheet - backed by a 14-day refund guarantee.

Insider Car Deals doesn't sell cars and isn't paid by dealers or manufacturers. Instead, it provides independent, model-specific pricing insight to help buyers avoid overpaying and buy with confidence.

 > Find out more by visiting Insidercardeals.co.uk

'In roughly three-quarters of cases, dealers improve their first offers,' Pat says.

'Not every dealer will match the very strongest offers we secured. 

'But across our mystery shopping the pattern was consistent: the first quote was rarely the final one.'

The gap between the opening offer and best discount agreed suggests there is often more room to negotiate than buyers are led to believe.

The 'total saving' listed for each model comes from a combination of up to three main sources.

First, any direct cash discount offered by a manufacturer, which can be introduced for a wide range of commercial reasons, whether to stimulate demand for a particular model, support brand-wide sales, or form part of a promotional campaign. 

Secondly, the dealers themselves offer discounts, which are paid for from the margin of the showroom operators.

Thirdly, brands may offer money towards a buyer's deposit if they are taking out a monthly PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) finance package, as such offers tend to improve brand loyalty.

By testing how far dealers will genuinely move on pricing – and updating his data daily as new information comes in – Pat builds a live picture of the prices buyers can realistically achieve across the UK new-car market.

And buyers can access this information with their own personalised deal sheet for £95, which provides them with the details of the target discounts they should be offered by dealers for a specific car of their choice. 

And if you really despise the art of haggling, you can pay Pat and his team an additional £140 and they'll negotiate the entire purchase for you.

Don't accept the first offer...

Pat's mystery shoppers found that the best deals were obtained by to-ing and fro-ing over price.

For example, in Kia dealerships, a 5.5 per cent dealer discount (£1,812) was typically offered at first on the Sportage SUV, which is the UK's second most popular new motor and the favourite family car of all. 

The average on the road (OTR) price (or starting price) for a petrol model is £34,960.

The OTR price is the full cost of a new vehicle based on the manufacturer list price inclusive of VAT, delivery charges, cost of the number plates, 12 months of vehicle tax (VED) and first registration fees.

In most cases, sales staff were prepared to improve their offer when pushed, although they were keen to do so only once they sensed firm purchase commitment. 

Mystery shoppers found they could ultimately get £4,456 off, which is an 11.7 per cent saving on the list price. On finance, it works out at monthly payments of £273 with an average PCP APR of 5.9 per cent.

But the saving was not achieved immediately. 'Deals tend to come through a series of offers and counter offers rather than an immediate jump to a final figure,' says Pat.

His team managed to agree even greater savings of up to 13 per cent on hybrid Sportages.

This is likely because hybrid registrations count towards mandated electric car sales targets manufacturers need to meet to avoid fines, with dealers given more discount allowance on these vehicles as a result.

Discounts are available even on best-selling cars

The Ford Puma has been the best-selling new car for the past three years running – ever since Ford culled the Fiesta, Britain's favourite motor of all time.

Britons are lining up to place orders, so you'd think there wouldn't be much room for negotiation. But you can still get a deal. 

Petrol versions have an average OTR price of £30,878. But Pat says buyers should – using all available discount avenues at their disposal and haggling – save up to £3,500, which is around 10 per cent.

You'll still have to bargain hard, though. Given Ford has sold more than 150,000 Pumas in Britain between 2023 and 2025, Pat says it's 'not always easy' negotiating with sales staff.

'Around two-thirds of Ford dealers were prepared to improve their opening offers on Puma,' he says.

The average discount initially quoted by salespeople was 5.3 per cent – a £1,429 saving. The strongest dealer discount we secured was 9.3 per cent, equivalent to £2,494 off.'

When you include finance deposit contributions and the lure of a £750 trade-in incentive Ford is offering when customers part-exchange their current cars, the best saving available is £3,573.

With eight in ten new car buyers using finance, typically PCP, the monthly payment is often what drivers really care about.

Pat says his team can get a Puma for just £249 per month, with an average APR of 3.1 per cent.

Think laterally so you can get the best deals

If the best discounts are not available on the car of your choice, it may be worth considering similar models where deals are on offer.

Mystery shoppers found that the Hyundai Tucson – which was the tenth best-selling new car in Britain last year and is almost mechanically and dimensionally identical to the Kia Sportage – achieved some of the best discounts.

Pat says Hyundai and its dealers have had to 'fight hard' to secure Tucson's position among the nation's best sellers.

This is in part because not everyone likes the styling of the Tucson – with its quite fussy 'Parametric Jewel' front grille through which its headlights peek from. Therefore, discounts are among the best available. 

In the past 12 months, the total average saving on one (average OTR of £36,955 for petrol versions) has increased from 12.5 per cent or £4,390 to 18.4 per cent or £6,395, with the PCP APR falling from 6.9 to 4.9 per cent. 

The monthly PCP payment would start from £262 now, compared with £297 a year ago.

Mike Hawes, chief executive at the SMMT, says manufacturer discounting has 'always been a feature of the new car market to help drive up demand.'

He told Daily Mail and This is Money: 'While new car sales have yet to recover to the levels seen during pre-Covid times, a healthy market is crucial, both for the economy and improving our environment.'

DISCOUNTS ON TOP 10 BEST SELLERS

1. Ford Puma - 10.4% discount

Examples sold in 2025: 55,488 

Fuel type: Petrol

Average retail price: £30,878

Achievable price (Insider Car Deals)*: £27,305 (£3,573 saving)

PCP monthly payments**: £249 (3.1% APR)

Discount example: 1.0 EcoBoost Hybrid mHEV ST-Line X - 11.3% discount (£3,210)

As Pat told us earlier, negotiations with Ford dealers is tough when it comes to the Puma, Britain's best-selling car for the last three years.

There is a low 2.9 per cent APR PCP incentive offered by the manufacturer that comes with a £1,000 deposit contribution that dealers often try to refer to as dealer discount. As they also do with a £750 trade-in incentive also from Ford, which is available on top of a dealer discount. 

They are also keen to emphasise the car's value and desirability and are not quick to increase their discount offers.

Despite this, mystery shoppers managed to up the original dealer discount of £1,429 by just over another £1,000 after a brief spell of haggling. 'That gap between the average opening offer and the best secured price shows how much movement can exist with dealer discount - even when salespeople insist there is little left to give,' Pat says.

2. Kia Sportage (petrol) - 11.7% discount

Examples sold in 2025: 47,788

Fuel type: Petrol

Average retail price: £34,960

Achievable price (Insider Car Deals)*: £30,504 (£4,456 saving)

PCP monthly payments**: £273 (5.9% APR)

Discount example: 1.6T GDi GT-Line DCT - 12.3% discount (£4,053)

Rather than leaning heavily on ultra-low APRs or large deposit contributions to drive demand, the biggest chunk of the average 11.7 per cent discount on the Kia Sportage - the UK's favourite SUV and second best-selling new car - is from dealer discount.

'A 5.5 per cent discount (£1,812) was typically where sales staff wanted deals to be done,' Pat's mystery shoppers told him. 

'In most cases, salespeople were prepared to improve their offers when pushed, although they were keen to do so only once they sensed firm purchase commitment. 

'Movement tended to come through a series of offers and counteroffers rather than an immediate jump to a final figure.'

Kia Sportage (hybrid) - 13% discount

Fuel type: Hybrid

Average retail price: £39,350

Achievable price (Insider Car Deals)*: £33,852 (£5,498 saving)

PCP monthly payments**: £288 (5.9% APR)

Discount example: 1.6T GDi HEV Pure 5dr Auto - 14.3% discount (£4,735)

It used to be more difficult to get a bigger dealer discount on Sportage Hybrid versions, as salesmen saw these as more of an aspirational buying decision and were able to close deals by giving less away. But no more. 

Dealers are now keener to sell hybrids to accrue credits towards the Government's Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate.

A typical opening quote given to mystery shoppers by showroom salesmen was 5.8 per cent - or £1,923. However, discounts increased incrementally against stronger intent to buy, so as to give away only what they really needed to.

Pat told us: 'The highest dealer discount we achieved was 8.7 per cent, or £2,884. Although the difference between the typical opening offer and best discount secured wasn't quite as high as for Sportage petrol versions, it remains clear that buyers should persist in negotiating for a great deal on the Hybrid variants.'

3. Nissan Qashqai - 19.1% discount

Examples sold in 2025: 41,141 

Fuel type: Petrol

Average retail price: £36,007

Achievable price (Insider Car Deals)*: £29,201 (£6,806 saving)

PCP monthly payments**: £224 (4.5% APR)

Discount example: 1.3 Dig-T Mhb 158 N-Connecta Xtronic - 19.3% discount (£6,731)

'Nissan dealers have ramped up their discounts by more than 53 per cent over the last 12 months and this has certainly helped to make the Qashqai the UK's third best-selling new car,' Pat says.

'Salespeople are also not shy about putting their best foot forward, with the starting offers averaging 10 per cent discount, or £3,481. And when you top that up with the £3,250 PCP deposit contribution from the manufacturer, it adds up to a considerable £6,731 total saving.'

Given the large original dealer discount, mystery shoppers found sales staff were largely reluctant to budge any further, if at all. The best dealer discount negotiated was 11.2 per cent or £3,899. 

'Nissan dealers are clearly stating that they have a great car being offered at a great price and take it or leave it. And, for now at least, it appears to be working.'

4. Vauxhall Corsa - 7% discount

Examples sold in 2025: 35,947

Fuel type: Petrol

Average retail price: £26,466

Achievable price (Insider Car Deals)*: £24,364 (£2,102 saving)

PCP monthly payments**: £149 (0% APR)

Discount example: 1.2 Turbo GS - 7% discount (£1,615)

Vauxhall offers buyers two distinct incentive routes, Pat tells us. 

'They can take a large headline discount, in some cases up to 20 per cent off, paired with a high 9.9 per cent PCP APR, or opt for a lower upfront discount, put down a 20 per cent deposit and secure an interest-free PCP deal. 

'The distinction is not always clearly explained, and it can appear that the larger discount applies to the 0 per cent APR offer when it does not. We focus on the interest-free PCP route, as this typically delivers the strongest overall value for buyers.

When pushed for an additional dealer discount, salesmen initially quoted 4 per cent off - a saving of £923 on average. However, in more than four out of five cases, they were prepared to improve the first offer, and the strongest dealer discount secured was 8.2 per cent, equivalent to £1,892 off. It shows that even with 0 per cent PCP in play, dealer margin discount can still move.

5. Nissan Juke (petrol) - 18.9% discount

Examples sold in 2025: 34,773

Fuel type: Petrol

Average retail price: £28,075

Achievable price (Insider Car Deals)*: £22,393 (£5,682 saving)

PCP monthly payments**: £211 (5.5% APR)

Discount example: 1.0 DiG-T N-Connecta DCT - 17.1% discount (£4,649)

Nissan has taken a similar approach to the Qashqai, with dealers happy to put a strong discount on the table from the start and sell the Juke on its love-it-or-hate-it appeal, driven largely by its distinctive styling. 

'Dealer discount levels haven't changed much over the last 12 months, but Nissan has become more generous with PCP deposit contributions,' Pat says,

'With dealers prepared to offer an average 9.3 per cent or £2,527 discount at the outset it is no surprise that wasn't much room for more negotiation after that among most dealers. The best dealer discount we secured was 11 per cent, equivalent to £2,989 off.

Nissan Juke (hybrid) - 19.5% discount

Fuel type: Hybrid

Average retail price: £31,620

Achievable price (Insider Car Deals)*: £25,617 (£6,003 saving)

PCP monthly payments**: £231 (5.5% APR)

Discount example: 1.6 Hybrid N-Connecta Auto - 20% discount (£5,857) 

Pat says Nissan salesmen are unlikely to much beyond their initial offer, based on the mystery shoppers' general experience in showrooms. That said, they were first presented with a 9.1 per cent dealer discount on top of existing incentives, lowering the price further on average by £2,666 per car. 

'That is strong for a dealer's opening offer, and it reflects the fact that Nissan clearly want to keep the Juke as a UK top 10 selling model and are prepared to maintain stand-out discounts to make that happen,' he says.

'Two-thirds of the dealers were prepared to negotiate further and the strongest dealer quote we managed to get was 11.2 per cent. When you add on the £3,000 PCP deposit contribution from Nissan, that amounts to an impressive total saving.'

6. Volkswagen Golf - 19.3% discount

Examples sold in 2025: 32,478

Fuel type: Petrol

Average retail price: £35,492

Achievable price (Insider Car Deals)*: £27,410 (£8,802 saving)

PCP monthly payments**: £235 (7.9% APR)

Discount example: 1.5 TSI 150 R-Line - 23.8% discount (£7,333)

Pat's team has identified what he calls a 'noticeable shift' in discounting attitude among VW dealers since the start of the year, with salesmen less willing to give way on their own margins across the board, including on the nation's sixth most popular new car and the best-selling family hatchback, the evergreen Golf.

Instead, the bulk of total achievable discounts come in the shape of a generous £4,250 PCP deposit contribution from Volkswagen. Unfortunately for those wanting to use finance, this is coupled with a relatively high 7.9 per cent APR.

Sales staff in showrooms typically offered an additional discount of 4.2 per cent on top of the manufacturer-provided finance incentive - or £1,296 on average. And despite showing some reluctance to increase this discount amount, they could be pushed up to a 7 per cent saving after some hard negotiation, with the best deal secured being 7 per cent (£2,161).

7. Volvo XC40 - 8.5% discount

Examples sold in 2025: 30,404

Fuel type: Petrol

Average retail price: £43,777

Achievable price (Insider Car Deals)*: £40,777 (£3,000 saving)

PCP monthly payments**: £323 (3.9% APR)

Discount example: 2.0 B4P Plus Dark Auto- 10% discount (£4,000)

Pat says different rules apply when it comes to striking deals with Volvo, as they operate an 'Agency Sales' model that does not allow any dealer discounting whatsoever.

'Any discounts, whether related to the car's price or the PCP deal are centrally controlled and managed by Volvo. The deal you see at an Edinburgh Volvo dealer will be the same as you'll see in Exeter,' Pat explains.

'The XC40's popularity means Volvo doesn't currently have to worry too much about its dealers not having the flexibility to structure variable discounted deals to win over a previously non-Volvo-owning customer. Volvo are happy to fix the total available saving at £4000, and buyers can take that or leave it.'

Pat's team also found that salesmen were very keen to point out that the dealer did retain control over part-exchange prices and hinted that what they choose to buy a part-exchange for was up to them.

This means that dealers can, theoretically, use whatever agency fee they get from Volvo to give you a discount in the form of a higher part exchange valuation.

8. MG HS – 16.7% discount

Examples sold in 2025: 30,191

Fuel type: Plug-in hybrid

Average retail price: £34,495

Achievable price (Insider Car Deals)*: £29,206 (£5,289 saving)

PCP monthly payments**: £255 (4.9% APR)

Discount example: 1.5 T-GDI PHEV SE Auto - 16.7% discount (£5,289)

The MG HS was last year's best-selling Chinese cars, securing eighth overall in the popularity rankings.

This is partly aided by the brand's dramatic increase in discounting in recent months. 

Having previously lived off its MG badge and the heritage it evokes to shield its Chinese ownership from the market, the SAIC-owned car maker had until 2025 built up sales with relatively little in terms of price cuts. But not anymore. 

'The influx of other Chinese competitors has resulted in MG more than doubling the total savings available on HS PHEV models over the last 12 months. PCP payments currently start from £255, compared to £354 a year ago,' Pat says.

'The average discount offered by dealers was a whopping 17.5 per cent, and none were prepared to budge beyond their original offer. The best offer we had was a 19 per cent dealer discount, or £7,029 off.'

9. Volkswagen Tiguan - 18% discount

Examples sold in 2025: 29,857

Fuel type: Petrol

Average retail price: £44,768

Achievable price (Insider Car Deals)*: £36,030 (£8,783 saving)

PCP monthly payments**: £330 (7.9% APR)

Discount example: 1.5 TSI 150 R-Line DSG - 17.5% discount (£7,175)

The Insider Car Deals team found that salesmen and women in VW showrooms are currently a little more amenable to discussing discounts on the Tiguan than their fellow dealers were on the Golf. 

'There is still the more structured and professional sales process that VW dealers tend to follow, which makes it all seem a bit harder, but when pushed, the majority of salesmen were willing to negotiate a higher discount,' Pat said.

The average opening offers on dealer discounts averaged at 5.3 per cent or a £2,171 - though the biggest saving agreed was 8.6 per cent, reflective of £3,523 being knocked off. 

Add to that the £4,000 PCP deposit contribution from Volkswagen and mystery shopper could have walked away with a massive £7,523 total saving. 'That's not bad for a Volkswagen,' Pat added.

10. Hyundai Tucson - 17.7% discount

Examples sold in 2025: 26,613

Fuel type: Petrol

Average retail price: £36,955

Achievable price (Insider Car Deals)*: £30,283 (£6,672 saving)

PCP monthly payments**: £262 (4.9% APR)

Discount example: 1.6T N Line - 18.7% discount (£6,263)

As Pat previous alluded, Hyundai has had to push hard over the last 12 months to keep its Tucson model in the UK's top 10 sellers list. 

'Over this period the total average saving has increased from 12.5 per cent or £4,390 to 18.4 per cent or £6,395, with the PCP APR falling from 6.9 per cent to 4.9 per cent.

'This has resulted in the monthly PCP payment starting from £262 now, compared with £297 a year ago.'

More than four in five showrooms mystery shopped were prepared to improve their opening offer on dealer discounts. The average discount initially quoted by salespeople was 7.4 per cent - a £2,476 saving, though the strongest of all was 11 per cent (£3,681).

*Achievable price based on independent real-world market research. Insider Car Deals does not sell cars or list offers  

**PCP monthly payments relates to each respective model range and not just the specified trim. All PCP monthly payments shown are illustrative only and do not constitute an offer or financial advice. Figures are based on manufacturers' published PCP terms and typically assume a 4-year term, 8,000–10,000 miles per year, a 15% customer deposit, and any applicable manufacturer finance contribution. A Guaranteed Future Value (GFV) or final payment may be required to keep the vehicle at the end of the agreement. Always request a full written quotation from a supplying dealer before committing to purchase