“Fuel efficiency improvements are such that the purchase price of smaller cars is often fully recovered through fuel price savings over the whole lifetime of the car. The KPMG 2014 Global Automotive Executive Survey found that 92% of industry respondents say that fuel efficiency for cost reasons is the primary factor in vehicle purchasing decisions.”

Leech said the traditional upper medium saloons such as the Ford Mondeo were suffering as executive models from BMW, Mercedes and Audi were eating into their market share. It’s a fact worth remembering when you’re searching for used stock.

Demand rising for luxury and executive models

Like Boggia, Leech believes there’s good sense in stocking any SUV or crossover. Their popularity stems from people preferring the versatility they offer – a one-stop-shop transport solution – with some buyers citing the 4x4 transmission as an important safety feature for peace of mind on hazardous road conditions.

“Premium brands continue to sell well in all segments, but most notably in smaller cars,” said Leech. “The Mini, Fiat 500 and Citroën DS3 have all recorded strong performances as consumers become ever more brand-conscious.”

So what are used car buyers actually looking to buy? Auto Trader research based on website visitors’ search parameters suggests there’s rising demand for luxury and executive models. The figures come from more than 466 million searches made between September and November last year, and suggest an increasingly bullish car market where the smallest city cars, small sports and MPVs are falling out of favour. They’re being replaced by larger high-end models, which seem to be growing in demand – at least when people are web-browsing.

The biggest rise was in searches for 4x4 vehicles, up 4.1%, which at this time of year could be dismissed as a seasonal phenomenon.

“The corresponding surge in luxury and executive car searches does suggest consumer confidence has returned to the  market,” said Jonathan Williams, Auto Trader’s marketing director.