A new free online car valuation service has been launched, describing its benefit as like having a "mate in the trade".

The website, wepricecars.com, is set up by Martin Keighley (pictured), a former CAP editor who has 35 years' trade experience.

"Wepricecars.com is a website to champion the consumer whether you are buying, selling or just need a value for an insurance claim.

"Wepricecars.com is fast and easy to use. It takes just seconds to get accurate used car values from a more trustworthy ‘ate in the trade'."

Users register an account with a genuine email address, and free valuations are available for cars registered from 2003 with the option to adjust for mileage. It allows users to enter the details of the car they are interested in, and then offers an instant valuation.

Keighley said: "You can then use this to negotiate a price with confidence."