Question of the week: Does a main dealer service history make a used car worth more?

David Ross, Editor
Fri, 07 Feb 2025

Dear Honest John,

"Is there any difference in the price I would be offered when trading in a car if it has a full main dealer service history or a full history from a local garage? I am asking this due to the very high cost from my nationwide main dealer."

- K

Dear K,

The short answer is 'no', but it is a little more complicated than that. Dealers generally get their trade-in values from valuation services such as CAP. Although there are adjustments to these values based on mileage and condition, the pricing tends to be 'one size fits all' - a dealer will check the value of your car for the guide price and won't look any more closely than that.

This is because unless they are interested in putting your trade-in on their own forecourt for resale, it will immediately be punted on to an auction house to be sold on, so these trade values are all that matters most of the time.

You may see more of a difference in price if you were to sell your car privately and more so if the car you were trading in was a high performance or specialist vehicle, or was from a premium brand.

To smart private buyers a complete service history is invaluable, more so if it is main dealer. However, it is also true that the additional cost of main dealer servicing versus an independent is unlikely to be offset by a better sale price.

It is not uncommon for new cars to be serviced by main dealers for the first three years or so of their life in order to comply with the manufacturer warranty stipulations.

After that point, many private owners will use a good independent garage. A good specialist independent that is experienced in dealing with your particular manufacturer will often offer a quality of service that is as good, and sometimes better, than main dealers and usually at a lower price.

Ask HJ

Should I buy a van with no service history?

I have been to look at a 2011 Peugoet Boxer van with 110,000 miles to convert into a camper but the guy says there's no service history even though he said he purchased it from a garage in October 2024 and they said it had been serviced. Surely they should have given him some paperwork to show this? I've done a vehicle check and all good (passed mot, not stolen etc). Is it worth a punt if I can get the price down?

Buying a used vehicle with no service history is always something of a risk, but that risk may be worth taking if the price is right and you can satisfy yourself that it is in good condition. Ideally you would be able to examine the van closely, or have someone mechanically-minded check it over for you, but if you are not as sure as you can be that it has been looked after you should walk away.

Answered by David Ross

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