Used petrol cars for sale

Used petrol cars for sale

Combustion engines may be falling out of favour as governments and carmakers attempt to make cars cleaner and move towards electric power, but it’s still the dominant force in the new car market, and represents a significant chunk of the used car market too. While legislation, fuel costs and taxation are making petrol cars more expensive to run than they used to be, they’re still the default used car purchase for most drivers. Below we’ll look at some of the things you need to know when shopping for a used petrol car.

What is a petrol car?

You’re probably already familiar with petrol cars. It’s the most common automotive fuel - petrol cars still make up the majority of new cars sales in the UK, and by extension, a large proportion of the used market. Not counting hybrids also running primarily on petrol, more than 110,000 of the 200,000 cars currently listed on the RAC used cars website are petrol-powered, compared to around 60,000 diesels and 11,000 electric cars.

While the UK has committed to ban the sale of new petrol (and diesel) cars from 2035, they’re likely to remain one of the most common types of car for decades to come, and are a popular choice in almost all vehicle segments, from the cheapest city cars to the most exotic supercars.

Why buy a used petrol car?

Petrol cars may not offer the potential economy of diesels or hybrids, and because they produce tailpipe emissions, aren’t as clean as electric vehicles, but they’re still incredibly cost-effective for most people both to buy and run. Petrol cars are ultimately popular because they work well, and offer a broad mix of capabilities, and this popularity makes them easy to find on the used market.

As well as saving money compared to a new car, buying a used petrol car gives you an enormous choice of potential vehicles, whether you’re looking at the very cheapest cars on the market or the most expensive. They have certain advantages over other types of car too, from petrol engines generally feeling more lively and being more refined than diesel engines (and better in town, where they warm up quickly and are less liable to wearing out some engine components), to being able to reliably fill them up in a couple of minutes compared to the longer recharging times and patchy network associated with electric vehicles.

How do I choose the ideal used petrol car?

Since petrol engines can be found in just about everything, choosing the ideal used petrol car is more a case of choosing the ideal used car, full stop. Essentially, you’ll have to decide what kind of car you want first - from superminis to sports cars to SUVs - and that will in turn dictate your engine options. Most cheaper cars and sports cars will typically only be offered in petrol form, but with family cars and SUVs, you’ll also have the choice of diesels, hybrids, and EVs.

Where can I find used petrol cars for sale?

The answer to this is simple: You can find used petrol cars for sale just about everywhere. As noted earlier, they still make up the majority of used cars on sale, so it’s harder to avoid them than it is to find them. When searching, just bear in mind that as well as conventional petrol cars, most hybrid vehicles also use a petrol engine, and while hybrids typically cost a little more like-for-like than non-hybrids, they can be the best of both worlds for a lot of drivers: as smooth and lively as a petrol, but as economical as a diesel.

Basic used petrol car checks

Once you’ve settled on the right car, it’s useful to check out reviews and buying guides of the model in question to see whether there are any areas you need to investigate when viewing a car. Some petrol engines have a better reputation than others, some will use considerably more fuel than others, and with so many different sizes and cylinder counts, many petrol engines will sound, perform, and behave quite differently too.

One thing to check is what grade of fuel is recommended for the model you’re looking at, represented by both an E number (for ethanol content) and an octane rating in RON. In the UK you can currently buy E10 (usually 95 RON) unleaded fuel, and E5 (anywhere between 97 and 100 RON) fuel, and this isn’t just a factor in keeping a car running as it should, but also impacts running costs - since higher-octane and lower-ethanol fuel is a requirement in some cars.

Beyond that, buying a petrol car involves the same checks as any other vehicle, ensuring it’s in generally good condition inside and out, that it drives well, and that it’s got a good service history - and an online history check can flag up any potential skeletons in the car’s closet, too.