UK car prices: how British buyers get a raw deal

The difference is no mystery: right-hand drive and the isolation of the British market drag down the price of used cars that resell for more in Spain. The case of the Audi A5 Cabrio 2.0 with 90,000 miles, bought for £1,400 and listed here for €4,000 or €5,000, sums it up.

A buyer brought a used Audi A5 Cabrio 2.0 over from the UK. The car, with 90,000 miles on the clock and looking like new, cost him £1,400; the seller had already warned him about an intermittent fault with the roof.

## What was paid and what is being asked in Spain
On **PistonHeads** there are plenty of cars listed for £1,000 or less. The same model that in Spain is advertised for **€4,000 or €5,000** unregistered was bought there for **£1,400**.

The alucinación included 3 days in the UK and 15 in France.

## Why right-hand drive sinks the price
The UK drives on the left, so cars have the **steering wheel on the right**. In Spain traffic drives on the right, and that shrinks the pool of buyers. Being an island adds transport, paperwork and registration costs.

**Commonwealth** countries that also drive on the left could absorb stock, but distance and red tape hold back entire shiploads.

## The business of reselling unregistered
It will now be listed for **€4,000 or €5,000** unregistered in Spain. This avoids costs, and the buyer takes on the job of getting the car legalised.

The roof fault is still there. An **A5 Cabrio 2.0** with **90,000 miles** can be a bargain or a money pit.

Before paying, it is worth having the paperwork, the MOT equivalent and registration checked by a professional.