Overview
Carwow is urging dealers to source used stock in December to strengthen January profitability, citing Brego data showing an average 7.3% margin uplift when buying December versus January for November 2024’s best-selling models. The company is keeping auctions running through much of the festive period to support inventory acquisition ahead of the New Year.
Key findings
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Average margin improvement: 7.3%, equivalent to about £755 per vehicle based on a typical six-year-old car selling for £10,340.
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Demand backdrop: Carwow recorded 15% more consumer enquiries during the last three weeks of December last year and expects a similar trend this year.
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Operational support: Carwow will run auctions across the holiday period and promotes its used car advertising to reach “millions of in-market buyers.”
Model-specific margin uplifts (buy in December, retail in January)
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Fiat 500 1.2 Lounge (six-year-old): 7% increase.
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Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSi SE 5-door (six-year-old): 4% increase.
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Ford Ranger Wildtrak 3.2 TDCi automatic: 26% increase.
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Ford Fiesta 1.0 Eco ST-Line 3-door: 1.1% increase.
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Ford Fiesta 1.0 Eco Zetec 5-door: 1.5% increase.
Auction timetable over the festive period
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Daily auctions up to and including Dec. 23.
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Auctions resume Dec. 27–Dec. 31.
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Auctions restart Jan. 2.
Carwow says dealers can also advertise their stock on Carwow and Auto Express.
What Carwow says
“This data clearly shows that stock sourcing in December can deliver a real commercial edge,” said James Pollard, Carwow’s commercial director. He added that January brings a sharp rise in consumer activity and the goal is to have partners “equipped with the right mix of quality stock as demand builds,” keeping auctions running so retailers can “hit the ground running in 2026.”
Methodology and caveats
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Analysis tracked the top five best-selling vehicles from November 2024 over a three-month period to gauge the impact of earlier sourcing on margins.
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Carwow emphasized the uplift was seen across both small cars and a pickup, not just a single outlier.
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The company did not disclose sample size, geographic spread, holding periods, reconditioning costs, or marketing expenditures, and did not publish model-by-model margin pounds.
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The reported 15% December enquiry uplift and expectations for this year were provided by Carwow.
Implications for dealers
Taken together, the five models delivered an average 7.3% additional profit by buying in December rather than January, suggesting that stocking a mix of mainstream, six-year-old vehicles ahead of the New Year could help preserve margin as January demand builds.
