3 In 4 Buyers Still Feel Confident: What That Means For Pricing, Stock And Finance

The headline is simple and slightly surprising: three in four in-market car buyers say they can afford their next car. That stat comes from Auto Trader’s latest consumer survey (887 respondents), and it cuts against a lot of the doom you see elsewhere. For dealers and brokers, it’s a green light to keep pushing, with the right finance and a clear retail story, demand is there.

Below is Marsh Finance’s take on why confidence remains resilient, how it’s showing up in the data, and the moves that will help you turn optimism into signed orders.

What The Numbers Actually Say

• Buyer confidence: Auto Trader’s September read shows 75% of in-market shoppers feel able to afford their next car. Site activity remains huge (Q3 visits averaged 2.7m/day, +1% YoY).
• Used market rhythm: Used vehicles are still moving briskly: 28 days to sell on average in September, with 3–5-year cars at 27 days. EVs were the fastest to sell at 27 days, a signal about shopper appetite and search behaviour, even if you’re ICE-heavy.
• Pricing stability: Like-for-like used prices were +0.6% YoY in September (second straight monthly gain), while younger cohorts softened as supply returned. Older stock saw the steadiest gains.
• New-car backdrop: September registrations rose 14% YoY (best September since 2020), supported by manufacturer incentives (average 10.1% discount; 11.8% on EVs). This reshapes buyer anchors when they compare new vs used.

Now for the broader context: GfK’s UK consumer confidence index slipped to -19 in September, and CPI inflation held at 3.8% (Aug) while the Bank Rate stayed at 4%. In other words, the macro news is mixed… but car buyers (a motivated subset of consumers) are still leaning in.

(https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-consumers-turn-more-wary-economic-worries-mount-gfk-says-2025-09-18/)

Why Confidence Is Holding Up (Even With Higher Living Costs)

1. People think in payments, not list prices. If the monthly payment is clear, predictable, and feels fair, the conversation continues.
2. Choice at every budget. Stronger used supply in the right age/price bands, plus visible OEM discounting, gives shoppers a ladder that “makes sense” from €€ to £££.
3. Search habits favour decisive buyers. Faster days-to-sell and record marketplace traffic suggest shoppers are doing homework early and arriving with intent.

What To Do With This

1) Bring the monthly to the top of every journey

• One representative example (term, deposit, APR, total payable) above the fold on every VDP and email.
• Add a single line: “Most buyers choose £X deposit over Y months.”
• Include a soft-search path so shoppers can check eligibility without credit-file fear.
  This is the shortest path from “I can probably afford it” to “let’s book a test drive.”

2) Match finance route to stock reality

• HP as the default on older cars (clear ownership, simple maths).
• PCP on younger vehicles where GFVs are predictable and customers want flexibility.
• Near-prime options ready for otherwise clean deals with a thin or slightly bruised file, it keeps approvals moving and protects your ticket price.

3) Price to the band, not the penny

Shoppers filter by round-number bands. Land inside common breaks (£9,995 / £14,995 / £19,995 / £24,995) and defend price with value you can point to: recent maintenance, two keys, clean MOT trail, service + 12-month MOT + basic warranty included. With used prices edging up year-on-year, you don’t need to chase the bottom.

4) Prioritise the cohorts that turn quickly

• 3-5-year stock: fast to sell, still constrained in places; good candidates for PCP or shorter-term HP.
• 5-10-year stock: steady demand, margin-friendly; lead with HP and protection bundles.

5) Arm your team with a 30-second “confidence script”

• “Here’s the monthly with and without deposit.”
• “Here’s what we’ve spent reconditioning this car.”
• “Two keys, clean MOT history, and we include a service and basic warranty.”
• “If you want flexibility at the end, this is what PCP looks like; if you want to own it outright, here’s HP.”
  This language answers the real question buyers are asking: “Will this be comfortable for me?”

For Brokers: Keep Approvals Brisk Without Over-Risking

• Pre-qualify with soft-search and auto-populate apps from lead data to cut friction.
• Term-deposit trade-offs on one screen; let customers see how small deposit changes change the monthly.
• Watch GFVs on younger used where new-car discounting has shifted anchors; keep reviews frequent so you’re not underwriting yesterday’s price.

Where Marsh Finance Fits

If customers are confident, your job is to make saying yes easy. Marsh supports dealer groups and brokers with:

• Soft-search routes from advert to pre-qual in seconds
• Fast HP & PCP decisions, including near-prime options
• Clear, compliant finance blocks (monthly + total payable) that lift conversion without discounting

Partner with Marsh Finance today!

Sources

• Auto Trader – Monthly Market Intelligence, September 2025: buyer confidence (3 in 4), days-to-sell, used pricing, incentives context.
• GfK Consumer Confidence (September 2025): index at -19.
• ONS CPI (August 2025): 3.8% YoY; BoE Bank Rate 4% (September decision).

Bottom line: the demand is there. Put the monthly up front, make eligibility effortless, and keep your story simple. The rest follows.