What fees do you pay buying a used car?

Is the price on a used car the price you actually pay?

At ONECARS, yes — the price shown on the car is the price you pay, because we charge no admin fee. That matters when you are weighing up two cars, because the number on the windscreen is only useful if nothing is added to it at the desk.

So before you agree anything, ask one question: is there any charge on top of this price? Once you have the answer for both cars, you are comparing like with like.

What is an admin fee on a used car?

An admin fee is a charge for the paperwork of a sale, added to the advertised price rather than included in it. You may also see it called a documentation fee, a processing fee or a dealer fee.

ONECARS does not charge one. There is no separate charge for drawing up the order, taxing paperwork or handing the car over.

Do you pay extra to reserve a car?

A reservation fee is not an extra cost. It holds the car for fourteen days, and within those fourteen days you can cancel for any reason and have the fee refunded in full. If you go ahead, it comes off the price of the car.

There is more on how that works in how a used car reservation works.

Is vehicle tax included in the price of a used car?

No — vehicle tax does not transfer with a car, so the new keeper has to tax it before it is driven on a public road. That can be done straight away online using the reference on the V5C.

What it costs depends on the car. One first registered between March 2001 and March 2017 is taxed by its CO2 emissions band. One registered from April 2017 has a standard yearly rate instead, with an extra charge for five years if its list price was over the threshold. That is why two cars at a similar price can cost very different amounts to keep on the road — see what makes a used car cheap to tax and do you need to tax a car before driving it home.

Do you have to pay for delivery?

Not within 20 miles of our Plas Acton forecourt — delivery inside that radius is free, on weekdays, in hourly slots, with the car checked, valeted and fuelled before it leaves us. The detail is on our delivery page.

What about insurance and the MOT?

Insurance is a cost you arrange yourself, and it has to be in place before the car is driven on a public road — including the drive home. There is a guide on sorting that out: how to insure a car you have just bought.

An MOT is a yearly cost to plan for. In England and Wales a car needs its first MOT by the third anniversary of its registration, and then every year after that. Every ONECARS car page old enough to have been tested shows its MOT history from the DVSA, test by test, with the mileage recorded at each test, so you can see where it is in that cycle before you commit. See also does a used car come with a new MOT.

Does a part-exchange change what you pay?

It changes the amount you hand over, not the price of the car. On a part-exchange our order form states three figures before anything is signed: the allowance for your car, the settlement still owed on it, and the difference.

Seeing all three written down is the point — you can check the sum yourself. More in part-exchange explained and part-exchange or sell privately.

What costs can come after you buy the car?

Servicing, repairs and wear items. Every ONECARS car comes with a free three-month warranty on the engine and gearbox, up to 2,500 miles, with repairs done by ONEFIX on the same site, and longer paid cover is available if you want it — what our warranty covers.

After that, ONEFIX, the workshop next door, services, repairs and MOTs the car. You are not sent somewhere else once the sale is done.

What should I ask before agreeing a price?

Run through this list before you sign anything:

• Is there an admin fee, or any charge on top of the advertised price?
• Is the reservation fee refundable, and does it come off the price?
• Is the car taxed, and which band is it in?
• Is there a charge for delivery to my address?
• What paperwork comes with the car? See what paperwork should come with a used car.
• What has been checked on it, and by whom?

How can I see all this for myself?

Every car on our forecourt listing has its own page with photographs, full spec and MOT history. Every one is checked on 34 points by ONEFIX, our own workshop on the same site, and the list of those points is published at how we check our cars. Anything that needs doing is done by ONEFIX before the car is handed over — a car with work still outstanding from its check is not handed to its buyer until it has been put right. That rule sits in our system rather than in a sales promise.

A fair example: this 2010 Volkswagen Polo 1.2 S is listed at £2,995, and that is the figure you would pay for it.

We are at Plas Acton Garage, 282 Chester Road, Wrexham LL12 8DU, with a second forecourt at Ruyton near Shrewsbury. Viewings are by appointment, Monday to Friday 9 to 5 and Saturday 10 to 4. If you want a cost gone through line by line before you come out, get in touch or ring the office on 01978 356983.