71-plate savings: Dealers will wipe up to 20% off popular cars

Motorists can negotiate up to a fifth off the price of some new cars, even as dealers are being hampered by parts shortages causing huge delivery delays for the latest models. 

Although the semiconductor chip shortage is currently hitting output of new cars, a new report claims that this shouldn’t stand in the way of drivers being able to negotiate a deal on some motors.  

Bucking the demand and supply trend are 12 relatively popular cars all available with savings of between 8.5 per cent and 20 per cent, according to What Car?.

A fifth off: What Car? says it can secure a saving of 20% on the current Volkswagen Passat, despite manufacturers facing long delivery delays as a result of paused production linked to the semiconductor chip shortage

A fifth off: What Car? says it can secure a saving of 20% on the current Volkswagen Passat, despite manufacturers facing long delivery delays as a result of paused production linked to the semiconductor chip shortage

The figures have been released just weeks before the new 71 plate is introduced  

The motoring consumer magazine’s team of mystery shoppers have found that the average cash discount on a new car is at 6.4 per cent – or £2,694 – though warned that markdowns have been in decline in recent months as computer chip supply issues have caused long waiting lists for the latest models. 

All discounts are guaranteed for buyers through What Car?’s online New Car Buying platform. 

Surprisingly, the all-electric Renault Zoe is the car with the second biggest percentage discount going, with dealers knocking almost 18% off the 100kW Iconic R135 50kWh version

Surprisingly, the all-electric Renault Zoe is the car with the second biggest percentage discount going, with dealers knocking almost 18% off the 100kW Iconic R135 50kWh version

Nissan's popular Micra supermini is subject to the third biggest discounts - a 17.4% saving (or £2,805 off) a 1.0-litre turbo model

Nissan’s popular Micra supermini is subject to the third biggest discounts – a 17.4% saving (or £2,805 off) a 1.0-litre turbo model

Another small car with a large discount ahead of the September plate change is the Citroen C1

Another small car with a large discount ahead of the September plate change is the Citroen C1

In percentage terms, it says that Volkswagen dealers are currently offering the largest individual saving on the £28,205 Passat family car, with a cash reduction of a fifth, which equates to £5,600 knocked off that list price.

Surprisingly, the next biggest discount is available on an electric model – and a popular one at that.

Renault will slash 17.9 per cent off the all-electric Zoe 100kW Iconic, according to What Car?’s data. That translates to £5,912 off, cutting the on-the-road price from £33,095 to £27,183. (Read our in-depth Renault Zoe review)

NEW CARS WITH THE BIGGEST DISCOUNTS AHEAD OF 71 PLATE IN SEPTEMBER 
Make Model Trim On The Road Price What Car? Target Price % Cash Saving Target Price Cash Saving
Volkswagen Passat 1.5 TSI SE Nav 4dr £28,205 £22,567 20.00% £5,638
Renault Zoe 100kW Iconic R135 50kWh Rapid Charge 5dr Auto £33,095 £27,183 17.90% £5,912
Nissan Micra 1.0 IG-T 92 Acenta 5dr £16,310 £13,505 17.40% £2,805
Citroen C1 1.0 VTi 72 Shine 5dr £13,435 £11,254 16.40% £2,181
BMW 5 Series 530d MHT xDrive M Sport 4dr Auto £54,265 £45,880 15.50% £8,385
Suzuki Sx4 S-Cross Hatchback 1.4 Boosterjet 48V Hybrid SZ4 5dr £21,249 £18,043 15.20% £3,206
Seat Tarraco 1.5 TSI EVO SE 5dr £30,080 £25,783 14.30% £4,297
Renault Kadjar 1.3 TCE GT Line 5dr £28,200 £24,381 13.60% £3,819
Citroen C3 Aircross 1.2 PureTech 110 Shine Plus 5dr £21,500 £18,839 12.50% £2,661
Renault Captur 1.0 TCE 90 Iconic 5dr £20,800 £18,563 10.90% £2,237
Seat Leon 1.5 TSI EVO FR 5dr £24,515 £22,097 10.00% £2,418
Nissan Juke 1.0 DiG-T 114 Acenta 5dr £20,440 £18,731 8.50% £1,709
The BMW 5 Series 530d MHT xDrive M Sport has the biggest monetary discount. Dealers will slash 15.5% off the on the road price, which equates to £8,385 off the £54,265 retail cost

The BMW 5 Series 530d MHT xDrive M Sport has the biggest monetary discount. Dealers will slash 15.5% off the on the road price, which equates to £8,385 off the £54,265 retail cost

Suzuki's S-Cross crossover is among the 12 models with the biggest discounts for factory ordered new cars

Suzuki’s S-Cross crossover is among the 12 models with the biggest discounts for factory ordered new cars

Seat's large seven-seat SUV, the Tarraco, is being offered with a 14.3% off the OTR price if you opt for the 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine

Seat’s large seven-seat SUV, the Tarraco, is being offered with a 14.3% off the OTR price if you opt for the 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine

The Renault Kadjar can be had with 13.6% off the asking price, though only if you go for the 1.3-litre TCE GT Line 5dr version

The Renault Kadjar can be had with 13.6% off the asking price, though only if you go for the 1.3-litre TCE GT Line 5dr version

Also being cut by 15.5 per cent is the luxury BMW 5 Series saloon, with a 3.0-litre diesel all-wheel drive model down from £54,265 to £45,880 (a saving of £8,385).

Semiconductor chip shortage explained 

Find out how microchip shortages are significantly impacting the motor sector

Find out how microchip shortages are significantly impacting the motor sector 

A limited supply of computer microchips is creating a substantial production issues for many car manufacturers.

Read our report to understand how the shortage of semiconductors is impacting vehicle makers, which brands have been forced to pause production and extend delivery dates, and how the problem is now impacting the used market.

Our in-depth report can be found here. 

Seat’s Tarraco SUV and hugely popular Leon family hatchback are also being discounted by 14.3 per cent and 10 per cent respectively, while Renault dealers are slashing the price of the Kadjar and Captur SUVs by 13.6 per cent 10.9 per cent.

Citron will knocked the equivalent of £2,237 off the price of the C3 Aircross and Nissan’s rival compact SUV – the Juke – is also offered with 8.5 per cent off if you opt for a 1.0-litre turbo petrol. 

But while there are savings available on plug-in models, it is diesel cars in general that are subject to the biggest reductions.  

On average, motorists can expect to get 7.2 per cent off a new diesel car, which is slightly better than the markdown on petrols, at 6.6 per cent.

What Car says fully electric vehicles – which are in huge demand right now – are on average discounted by 3.1 per cent, while plug-in hybrids have more sizable savings of 6.3 per cent.

All savings are based on factory ordered cars rather than what dealers currently have in stock.

This is despite some models having delivery delays of months, in some cases tallying up to a year, because of the shortage of semiconductor chips which has resulted in paused production at many motor plants.  

Citroen's funky C3 Aircross, which is a blend of SUV and MPV, is available with discounts of up to 12.5%, which translate to a £2,660 saving

Citroen’s funky C3 Aircross, which is a blend of SUV and MPV, is available with discounts of up to 12.5%, which translate to a £2,660 saving

The Renault Captur is a very popular compact SUV. Buyers can get almost 11% off at the moment

The Renault Captur is a very popular compact SUV. Buyers can get almost 11% off at the moment

Mechanically the same as a VW Golf, the new Seat Leon has plenty going for it. Discounts of up to 10% are currently available, saving £2,400 on the £24,515 OTR price

Mechanically the same as a VW Golf, the new Seat Leon has plenty going for it. Discounts of up to 10% are currently available, saving £2,400 on the £24,515 OTR price

Another very popular car among Britons is this Nissan Juke compact SUV. Go for the 1.0 DiG-T 114 Acenta 5dr and dealers will knock 8.50% (£1,709) off the £20,440 asking price

Another very popular car among Britons is this Nissan Juke compact SUV. Go for the 1.0 DiG-T 114 Acenta 5dr and dealers will knock 8.50% (£1,709) off the £20,440 asking price

Steve Huntingford, editor, What Car?, explained: ‘The new car market has been impacted by microchip shortages, which has stretched lead times on some new cars. 

‘While average discounts have fallen from a high of 7.2 per cent in the beginning of the year to 6.4 per cent, there are still some fantastic new car offers to be found for buyers who are willing to shop around.

‘The discounts on offer, combined with pent-up demand in the market is hopefully setting up the industry for a more positive end of year.’

Across all brands, Seat was found to offer the highest average cash discounts across its model range, with a 12.1 per cent saving on new models, followed by Suzuki (12 per cent) and Renault (11.4 per cent). 

Premium brands, including BMW and Volvo were also among the top 10 manufacturers offering the highest discounts, with BMW offering 8 per cent average cash discounts on new vehicles and Volvo discounting its new models by 7 per cent on average. 

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source: dailymail.co.uk