Driving Seat, a company set up by Sandy Muir, former head of marketing at Michelin Tyres in the UK, is offering a ‘try before they buy’ for those looking for a new car.

The company, which begins trading this week, will offer extended test drives in four executive saloons for £250 on a test track. If a driver buys one of the cars, the fee will be subtracted from the purchase price of the vehicle.

Muir described the process as “speed-dating for car buyers” and said it had been made possible by recent changes to the block exemption.

“We wouldn’t have been able to do this before because there was not a sufficient number of multi-marque dealerships that could supply us with the cars, and there were strict rules on dealers’ territories — they could not trade outside their areas,” says Muir.

Drivers will choose a price category of car they want to drive, and then select four from a range of cars on offer. Track days will be held at Longcross and Dunsford Park in Surrey, and Goodwood in West Sussex.