Planning to sell or trade in your car? Here’s how to get the best price for it

First impressions count for a lot, so a little money, time and effort put into making your vehicle look its best will earn you bonus points in the bargaining stakes.

Of course, everything is relative. There is no point spending big on something facing the scrap heap. But in the main, a bit of effort will pay rich dividends. And that means the cost of changing your car to a new or newer one could be substantially less than if you only gave your car a quick once-over.

Here is a 12-point plan to make sure you can get best price for your car:

• l While the car’s logbook is obviously vital to show ownership(s), also essential is the service record. A continuous and regular record of service instils confidence in a would-be purchaser. One with a less than a ­comprehensive history might have buyers doubting the car has been properly maintained. Always put yourself in the buyer’s shoes. Would you buy a vehicle showing gaps in servicing? Do I believe the mileage? Unless of course you can provide a genuine excuse, such as the car not being used for lengthy periods due to extremely low mileage, absence, illness or any other plausible reason.
• l Then come key areas to upgrade. Is your cabin showing signs of heavy wear and tear? Are there scrapes and bits of protruding foam everywhere from passengers, especially children, piling in and out over the years? Are the seat covers badly worn. You might not think them to be too bad but to an intending buyer they can be seriously off-putting. There isn’t a lot you can do except clean and polish the seats and upholstery as best you can (new seat covers might help but a ­savvy buyer will ask to see the bare seats). If the blemishes are not too bad, ­consider getting the car valeted. It is amazing what they can do, especially with the dash and inside-door materials.
• Clear out ashtrays and door pockets and clean the ceiling to remove smoke and other odours.
• Pay special attention to stains; remove them as best you can with a good cleaning agent, preferably one with a nice smell.
• Clean the floor and under the seats and remove the mats or get rid of them if they are worn and smelly. If the latter is the case, you could invest in a new set of dark-coloured mats so they don’t show up the rest of the car. Clean the foot ­pedals – and around them – thoroughly.
• Clean the display screens and anywhere there are hand and finger stains. These can look terribly grotty.
• The boot can be a big giveaway on how much a car has been used and abused. Scrapes on the bumper and stained materials all yield evidence of lots of wear and tear. Clear out everything or stow items such as jump leads out of sight. Again, a good valeting should take the mean look off it. Clean the footwell if there is one. If there is a spare wheel there, take it out and clean it.
• Check the wipers are in good working order and not scraping across the windscreen.
• Take plenty of time to examine all light and brake coverings for cracks and water leakage, not to mention worn-out light bulbs. Make sure all glassware is clear of such eyesores and clean them thoroughly. The front lamps can have little holes in them from road chippings. You need to replace anything that is affected. Otherwise you are giving the impression you didn’t mind the car well.
• Wash the car exterior either yourself or at a drive-through and make sure there are no streaks or dirty spots left. Give this plenty of time.
• Have a mechanic check brakes, clutch and lights are working so you are not passing on a safety defect to the next driver.
• If your car is due an NCT soon get it done ASAP to highlight faults. Get them repaired for everyone’s safety. It would be a real boost to have a fresh NCT test cert.