Finding a great deal and buying a car online is no longer the preserve of adventurous technology nerds. Today, it’s becoming the most convenient and flexible way to buy a new car, especially if you know exactly what you want.
You can choose your car, sort out the finance and have it delivered right to your door. New cars can be configured to your exact specifications, while used cars come from dealers who provide comprehensive descriptions, photos and videos.
The concept of buying a car online is much older than you might expect. Vauxhall pioneered it in the early 2000s, offering special .Com versions of several cars that were available exclusively through its website. The exercise wasn’t a success with only around 1,000 cars sold, but times have changed and we’re now much more comfortable making large purchases online.
Keep reading to learn more about the process of buying a car online, and which manufacturers allow you to do exactly that.
How to buy a car online
Online purchasing and delivery have become part of everyday life for most of us, so it’s good to see many car manufacturers and dealers selling online. Given purchasing or leasing a new car is a much larger financial commitment than upgrading to the latest smartphone, though, it’s understandable that the take-up of online car buying is taking time.
Nevertheless, there are a number of car companies that allow you to configure, finance and take delivery of your next car online. They can negotiate a new PCP deal, price up your trade-in, complete the purchase and then deliver to you at a time and location that suits you.
Should I buy a car online?
Car showrooms can be quite intimidating places. The salespeople give you the hard sell, they can ‘encourage’ you to spec your car so it’ll be easier for them to sell used, you don’t really see all the figures until the end of the process. It’s easy to end up feeling like you’ve been railroaded into buying a car you don’t necessarily want, not knowing if you got a good deal on it.
Buying a car online can remove those impediments. Peugeot, an early adopter of online selling, aims to ‘encourage customers to take control of the buying process.’ Its system allows you to pick the exact model you want and specify it to your needs and tastes, not the dealers’.
With each option you add or remove, you see the effect it has on the cash price, and the monthly payments for the various finance options. It’s a similar story for every other manufacturer that offers online purchasing.
No more waiting for your new car
Going to a dealer to buy a new car can take most of a full day. Simply carving out that amount of time can delay your purchase significantly. Buying a new car online can take under an hour, even if you need to apply for finance and agree a price for your part-exchange. So you don’t have to wait until you have a spare Saturday to visit a dealer, meaning you get your new car all the sooner.
You will still have to be patient with the delivery time, which could be anything from a few weeks to several months. But that process can be speeded up by buying a car from stock. On many manufacturers’ websites, once you’ve specified your car on the configurator, there’s the option to search for a car that closely matches your spec and is already sat on a dealer’s forecourt and available to buy immediately. That cuts the waiting time even further.
Should I test drive a new car before I buy?
There are undoubtedly many benefits to test driving a car before you buy and discussing the nitty-gritty details of the vehicle with a dealer. But buying online doesn’t mean you can’t still test drive as many cars as you wish before you make your decision.
Many car manufacturers offer extended 24-48 hour test drives with the car delivered to your home. Some, such as Tesla, offer the service permanently, others do so for occasional promotions, usually around the time the registration numbers change.
Having that much more time with the car allows you to test it more thoroughly and find out if it truly suits your needs and wants. There’s usually a mileage limit, so you wouldn’t be able to use it for any big trips, but you should still be able to trial it in most situations.
Even if they don’t offer extended test drives, every car manufacturer allows you to book a test drive through their website.
No haggling required
Buying online shows you the price of your new car in cash or with a range of finance options, and with a price of your part-exchange, if you have one. So no more to-and-fro haggling with the dealer – what you see is what you get. But is this a positive step for buyers who want a transparent, easy purchase?
For some car buyers, haggling on price can lead to a seemingly great deal. For others, lacking confidence when confronted with an extroverted dealer, not haggling can make you wonder if you paid over the odds. Having one simple price from the very start could remove this uncertainty over the true nature of your deal.
Removing the doubt around trade-in values, it’s possible to get bids from a range of buyers through services like Motorway. This takes away the uncertainty of whether the dealer’s hiding a bad deal in the price of your new car, and gives you the flexibility of seeing those trade prices yourself.
Will there be anyone to help if I have questions?
You can ask any question at any time in the online car buying process by calling the manufacturers’ telephone helpline or using the online chat service. But they tend to specialise in the intricacies of the buying and financing process. If you have any questions about the car itself, you’re better off calling a dealer.
Online car buying habits
It’s pretty hard to get a good hold on online car buying habits, as it’s a relatively new phenomenon. However, Tesla has revealed that the most popular time for purchasing a one of its cars in Europe is between 3pm-6pm on a Tuesday, with Wednesday following up closely as the second most popular day.
Tesla’s retail experience differs from other car manufacturers because all new owners buy online. This can be done from home, or via a Tesla advisor over the phone or in store. Tesla says 75% of prospective owners place their order their car from home. Interestingly, in the Netherlands and Germany, more than half of Tesla buyers take the plunge without a test drive.
What this means for you
We’re all connected to the internet 24/7, so it’s no wonder the car market is catching up and offering sales online. Buying your new car online speeds up the process, provides transparency on all your payment options, and removes the pressure of commission-driven dealers.
But there’s still a lot of value in meeting your new car in person. You can find out how it drives, if it’s comfortable enough, and whether it suits your lifestyle. That physical interaction simply cannot be replicated online.
Our advice is to always test drive a prospective purchase in person, then go online to buy your car if you’re not happy making that big decision on the spot.
The Parkers step-by-step guide to buying online
Choosing
Configuring
Making the deal
Delivery and collection
A-Z of who sells online
1. Choose your car
This is both the easiest and also most difficult part of the car buying process. For many car buyers, there are so many considerations that it’s never simply a matter of what’s the biggest, fastest or most economical car for your money.
You can rapidly narrow down your options with the Parkers car chooser tool which surfaces the best options based on how you use a car, and shows you how highly we rate them.
Armed with your list of favourites, you can then compare several choices by feeding them into our car comparison tool. That helps you get a handle on how they stack up against each other. Once you’ve decided what’s the best car for you, it’s time to take the next step…
2. Configure the car on the manufacturer’s website
Every car manufacturer has a configurator on their website. It’s a tool that allows to pick the exact combination of trim level, engine, colours and options you want your car to have. It’s the most fun stage of the car buying process and it’s easy to lose hours playing with them.
Configurators are fully interactive and give multi-angle or 360-degree views of the car’s interior and exterior. You’ll see what effect cosmetic options have on the car’s appearance, as well, but remember that colours won’t necessarily look the same in real life.
As you add options you can see the effect they have on the price of the car, whether you’re paying in full, or monthly through one of the finance options.
Every configurator allows you to save your chosen spec for future reference, and to share it with family and friends, or a dealer. Some manufacturers such as Ford and Kia allow you send your spec directly to a dealer who’ll then contact you to discuss buying the car.
3. Work out the deal
Once you’ve settled on your chosen spec for the car you intend to buy, you can put the financials together. The easiest option is to pay in cash but, if you wish you make use of the manufacturer’s finance options, you can get personalised quotes direct from the configurator summary page and then apply for the finance.
You can also enter the details of your part-exchange and get an offer for it that’ll be taken off the price you pay for your new car. Be sure to value your car so you know whether you’re being offered a good price.
Some car manufacturers allow you to go through this process entirely online, but some do involve a dealer towards the end. The website shows you all the figures, but you’ll then be contacted by a dealer who confirms the details and puts the order for your new car through on your behalf.
4. Arranging delivery or collection
Some car manufacturers will deliver your new car to your door – or another convenient location – but most still prefer you to go to a dealer. You’ll be treated well and shown around some of the finer points of the car before being sent on your way.
5. Where to buy a car online
This list is regularly updated to reflect current online new car buying options and delivery availability.
BMW
The process starts by configuring a car and then selecting the option to ‘build’ and then ‘buy’. You can pick the details for your vehicle, choose your preferred retailer, finance and payment terms. The car is delivered to the selected dealer who’ll then liase with you to arrange collection or delivery.
Gensis
Hyundai’s premium offshoot doesn’t operate a traditional dealership model, so you have to buy online. You spec your car as you want it, choose how you’re going to pay for it and get a valuation for your part-exchange. The car can be delivered to your home or one of Genesis’ ‘experience centres’. This may change in the near future, however, as the Genesis models are going to be rolled into the rest of the Hyundai range.
GWM ORA
Chinese electric car brand GWM ORA allows you to complete your purchase entirely online, paying in cash or with a range of finance options. Cars are currently only available from stock, but they still offer the full range of models in a variety of colours. Buying from stock has the advantage of reducing delivery times.
Hyundai
Hyundai’s Cl!ck to Buy service was a pioneer in the UK, offering online sales since 2018. The process is much the same as with any other manufacturer – spec your car, choose your payment method, value your part-exchange and arrange for delivery or collection. The process can be completed via Hyundai’s website or app.
INEOS
Off-roader specialist INEOS allows you to complete the purchase process entirely online, including working out the best finance options for you and getting a valuation for your part-exchange.
Jaguar/Land Rover
You can purchase and configure Jaguar and Land Rover cars online; home delivery for new and used vehicles is available. There’s also a collection and delivery service for vehicle servicing, repairs and MoTs.
Lexus
Lexus isn’t breaking new ground with its online purchasing service, but it seems to be a pleasingly simple and hassle-free process.
Lotus
You can spec and buy any new Lotus – including the Eletre electric SUV – entirely online, specifying it exactly as you want and choosing your preferred payment method.
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes allows you to configure your chosen model as you want it, then you can view cars in stock that match – or at least are close to – your specification and are available to buy immediately.
Peugeot
You can fully configure a car on the Peugeot website and order it, paying in full or on finance. The car will be a delivered to your home or a dealer.
Polestar
Minimalist EV maker Polestar only has eight ‘spaces’ sited in major British cities so, if you want one, ordering online is probably your best bet. As with the other manufacturers listed here, it offers a full online service from configurating your car as you want it, to arranging delivery.
Renault Group
Renault brands Nissan, Dacia, Alpine and Renault itself allow you to spec your car online and then reserve it – at a cost of £99 in the case of Dacia and Renault. You’ll then have to go to a dealer to complete the purchase.
Skoda
Skoda is currently the only brand in the Volkswagen Group that allows you to buy your new car entirely online. Spec the car you want, then press the ‘order this car’ button, fill out a few forms and choose your preferred dealer for delivery.
Smart
You can buy Smart’s brand-new electric SUVs online, choosing the spec you want and the payment method that works best for you.
Tesla
Technically, Tesla only sells online. Even if you go to a Tesla showroom, the sales advisor will order your car through the brand’s website. Alternatively, you can go through the process by yourself at home, or through a Tesla Chat advisor.
Toyota
As it so often is, Toyota is a little late to the online car buying party, but it has learned lessons from others’ mistakes and its full-service portal is very straightforward to use.
Volvo
Volvo has offered online purchasing since 2019. You can order a car in a specification specific to you or choose one that’s already in stock. Curiously, home delivery isn’t available.
