Strong demand for quality used vehicles across all sectors is driving wholesale auction values to fresh highs, according to online auction CD Auction Group.

Roger Woodward, managing director of CD Auction Group, believes the wholesale market will stay buoyant in the run up to Christmas.

He said: “A shortage of good quality stock, coupled with the fact that retail used car sales seem to be picking up, has brought buyers back into the market.

“The major supermarkets and dealer groups are back buying for stock and bidding is very competitive. This is not just local; with our online platform, we are seeing buyers from across the UK, the Republic of Ireland and even Cyprus and Malta.”

Dealers wanting to maximise used car profits in the final quarter will need to act quickly and monitor sales catalogues closely, according to Woodward.

“Fleet operators may take the window of opportunity and sell between now and Christmas,” he says.