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As a franchise dealer for Suzuki, Nissan and Subaru we quite often have a selection of pre-registered cars available to buy but it's sometimes confusing for you as a customer when it comes to understanding what the terminology means and which car offers the best choice for you.
So, what is a pre-registered car?
A PRE-REGISTERED CAR, ALSO KNOWN AS A "PRE-REG", IS A CAR THAT HAS NEVER BEEN OWNED OR DRIVEN BY AN INDIVIDUAL. THE CAR HAS BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE DVLA AND WHILST STILL ESSENTIALLY A BRAND NEW CAR THAT HAS NOT BEEN USED, IT WILL SHOW HAS HAVING 1 KEEPER ON THE LOGBOOK (V5).
All new car dealerships are set targets by the manufacturer and sometimes there are incentives to register cars.
There could be a number of reasons for them to do this; it could be as simple as the manufacturer being able to report a higher number of sales or it could be due to changes to regulations which mean cars have to be registered by a particular date.
Whatever the reason, it's a win-win situation for a buyer as you're getting a new car but with a used car price tag!
As a car buyer there are a many advantages of purchasing a pre-registered car.
Big Savings - The first, which we've already mentioned, is the price. These cars generally offer huge savings when compared to their unregistered counterparts which means you can have a sparkling new registration parked on your drive whilst still having a balance in your bank account.
Drive Away Immediately - Pre Registered cars are available immediately so there's no need to wait for them to be built or delivered from the factory. Perfect if you're impatient!
All The Benefits Of a New Car - You'll still receive all the benefits you would with a brand new car which includes the manufacturer's warranty (which is usually 3 years from the date of registration) along with the balance of any roadside assistance etc (this varies by manufacturer and can be anything from 1 to 3 years from the date of registration).
An ex-demo car is not the same as a pre-registered car. Ex-demo cars will have been driven by customers on test drives and / or by staff of the dealership. A pre-registered car however should only have "delivery miles" on the clock i.e. a minimal amount from being delivered by the manufacturer and from moving the car around the dealership when preparing it for sale.
In a lot of cases, higher specification models are used as demonstrators. This means you could get a better spec car for a lower price but don't forget ex-demos will have been driven whereas pre-registered cars won't.
Whilst there will be a certain amount of optional extras available for pre-registered and ex-demo cars, these will be more limited than when choosing a brand new car so you're less likely to have a choice of colour and specification etc.
In summary, if you're looking for a new car but don't want to pay a new car price then it's definitely worth looking at the option of a pre-registered car if available. You'll essentially be getting a brand new car for a used car price and with a quick delivery time.
