1. Decide on the type of car you want

There are thousands of used cars listed on the Motors.co.uk website, but narrowing down the search couldn’t be simpler. Make a list of the features that are most important to you – number of seats, fuel efficiency or even whether it’s an automatic car or manual – and we simply help you filter down to a target selection thanks to our innovative search options.

2. Search smarter for a used car

‘Smart Search’ is the way to find exactly what you’re looking for by the features you want in your next car, even if you don’t have a specific make and model in mind. ‘Smart Search’ allows you to narrow your search by requirements such as budget, fuel economy, road tax and even a specific insurance group – along with luxuries, colour and the number of seats you need for regular passengers – and we’ll bring you a comprehensive list of results.

If you’re keen to browse local sellers and cars, our 'Classic Search' can help you find what’s available in your area. Just enter your location, desired make and model, plus your price range and door-to-door search radius, and we’ll show you what’s on offer. Search results are automatically displayed by your local region to show you the closest cars first, but you can also sort by price, biggest reductions and most recently added cars.

3. History Check

Has the car you want passed a history check? You’ll find out for free and in seconds with access to our database of trusted vehicles. Nine out of every ten cars advertised on Motors.co.uk undergo a free basic history check to find out whether the car has previously been exported, imported or written off – giving you the reassurance and peace of mind you need to search with confidence. It’s easy to see a car’s status as a ‘history pass’, ‘history alert’ or ‘history not checked’ logo will display on the listing. However, it’s also worth paying a small fee to get further information from Experian or HPI, which will include screening for any outstanding finance on the car.

4. Sell your car

If you’re thinking of selling your current car and wondering how much you could get for it, simply enter your registration number, postcode and mileage into our Valuation Tool and we’ll return an estimation of your car’s current value for free. You also have the option to sell your car at auction, sell your car privately by advertising it on Gumtree for free, or contact your local car dealers for a trade-in offer – the choice is yours.