Car Guides

Everything you need to buy, sell, or grow your automotive business

Free, practical guides from the Car Spot team

Covering personal car sales, dealer listings, garage management, and everything in between.

Illuminated car tachometer glowing white and blue against black
8 min readGarage

One Booking Pays for the Year

A hard-nosed UK breakdown of how a single service booking covers your annual Car Spot garage subscription – with the real maths and the opportunity cost of staying off.

BookingsPricingRead guide
Silver car with a glowing headlight in a dark garage
8 min readGarage

How to Prepare Your Garage for Electric Cars

EVs are 3%+ of UK roads (~1.4M cars) growing 30%/yr. Level 3 IMI training (£800-1,500), insulated tools (£1,500-3,000) — practical EV-readiness checklist.

BookingsEVRead guide
Warm classic-car workshop with vintage cars beneath motor-oil signage
10 min readGarage

What Car Owners Want from a Garage

UK car owners pick garages on 4 signals: visible pricing (e.g. MOT £35), 4.5★+ reviews, online booking, and reply within 30 minutes. The data behind each.

Getting startedTrustRead guide
Dim mechanic workshop with a car raised on an empty lift
9 min readGarage

Facebook Won’t Fix an Empty Ramp

UK garages typically spend 3–5 hours/week on social media for <1 booking. Compare to Google Business + Car Spot listing (~30 min/week) for 5–10 bookings.

MarketingRead guide
Top-down flat-lay of four colourful vintage toy cars on pastel background
7 min readPersonal

Auto Trader vs Private Sale: Which Pays More?

Compare Auto Trader's £35–£70 fees vs Facebook/Gumtree free listings, and when selling to a dealer (10–20% less) beats both. UK price scenarios included.

SellingPricingRead guide
Laptop screen showing online car listings for research and comparison
8 min readPersonal

Best Place to Sell a Car in the UK

Best place to sell a car in the UK? Compare Auto Trader, Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace and Car Spot on cost, speed, buyer quality and hassle.

SellingRead guide
Rural two-lane road through autumn-coloured trees at sunset
9 min readPersonal

Best Time to Sell a Car UK

The right timing can add 10–15% to your UK sale price. Month-by-month guide for convertibles, 4x4s, EVs, and family cars — when each peaks.

SellingTimingPricingRead guide
Tree-lined country road on a foggy, overcast winter day
11 min readPersonal

Best Time to Sell: Winter vs Summer

Sell a 4x4 in October to add 10–15%; sell a convertible in April for a 5–8% premium. UK winter vs summer pricing data — and which season suits each body type.

SellingTimingPricingRead guide
Black Porsche Panamera in motion on a highway, rear view
8 min readPersonal

Car Depreciation UK: Best Resale Value Cars

A new UK car loses 20% in year one and ~60% by year five. Which models defy this — and how to protect resale value before you sell.

BuyingSellingPricingRead guide
Close-up front-end detail of a white coupe covered in rain droplets
7 min readPersonal

Car Photography Tips for Selling

Car photography tips for selling in the UK: the full shot list, best light, phone settings and photo order to sell your car faster and for more.

SellingListingRead guide
Empty desert road stretching toward snow-capped mountains
7 min readPersonal

Car Running Costs UK

Insurance, fuel, tax, depreciation, servicing and breakdown cover — the seven real costs of running a car in the UK, what each typically costs, and how to cut them.

OwnershipMaintenanceRead guide
Classic red Mini Cooper driving on a tree-lined road
9 min readPersonal

Buying Your First Car

Just passed your test? Here’s how to buy your first car in the UK without overpaying — budgeting for the real running costs, choosing a cheap-to-insure model, and the checks to make before you hand over any money.

BuyingOwnershipRead guide