With '04'-plated cars due to arrive on UK roads from the start of next month, Glass's has been examining the premium that buyers can expect to pay for the latest nearly-new cars.

"Cars featuring the '53'-plate are still fairly few and far between, but clear patterns are still emerging when it comes to the prices being paid," comments Adrian Rushmore, Managing Editor at Glass's Information Services.

"The difference between a '53' and '03'-plated upper medium-sized car, such as a Vauxhall Vectra, is about £500 - assuming the same mileage was covered by both plates. The difference for a lower medium-sized car, such as a Ford Focus, is £450, while for superminis the difference is typically £350.

"Notably, these price differences are at least £150 less, respectively, when comparing the same age of plates 12 months ago. This suggests that the buying public is gradually attaching less importance to the September plate, probably because '53' is a less recognisable year identifier than '03'."