Expert names exactly when should sell your car or risk losing thousands of pounds

Motorists looking to sell their carsshould do so before the end of August or risk losing out on thousands of pounds, according to industry experts.

Selling your motor this month could mean you bag the best price for it. That's because, when new '75' plate motors hit the forecourts on September 1, car owners could witness their current vehicle's value plummet as the market adapts to a flood of fresh stock.

So if you're contemplating switching your car soon, it's worth listing it as quickly as possible. It comes after news that anyone buying fuel next week will be given a '£15 charge' warning by The AA.

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Motoring expert Tim Rodie from Motorpoint has wanred: "It's well documented that new car prices are heavily impacted by the plate change, but motorists may not be aware that the price of their current vehicle can also be affected.

"Interestingly, it isn't the new plates themselves that impact the value of your car but rather the influx of brand-new vehicles on the road.

"With newer models entering the used car market and lots of drivers looking to sell, you could see the value of your car decline quite considerably. If anyone is looking to sell their car, I would strongly recommend that they do so ahead of September 1."

The launch of '75' plates on Monday, September 1, will affect drivers across Scotland, England and Wales, reports the Daily Record. Since 2001, the UK Government has introduced new number plates on both March and September 1 to clearly distinguish when a new car has been registered.

Discussing the key aspects of a number plate change, Tim explained: "To understand a number plate, you don't really need to worry about the letters, the first two act as a DVLA memory tag and the final three are completely random.

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"The most important bit for motorists is the two numbers in the middle because these show the age of a vehicle.

"Those registered between March and the end of August have the current year of '25', but for any car registered between September 1st and the end of February 2026, the identifier will be the last two digits of the current year plus 50 – which is why this time it will be "75"."

On the importance of being aware of the plate change, Tim said: "Age is one of the most important factors to impact the value of your vehicle and each time a new registration plate is introduced your car will be considered older and therefore lose some of its value.

"Keeping tabs on the age of your vehicle and selling your car ahead of the plate change is one of the easiest ways to ensure you are getting the best price possible."

You can find out how much your vehicle is worth by visiting Motorpoint's website for a valuation.

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