Auto Trader figures for July reveal that petrol versions of the 2012 BMW 1 Series with automatic transmissions were the quickest sellers nationally, taking an average of 17 days to turn.

Overall, models in the national top 10 sold in around 20 days.

This was the same as in June, however their average price rose by more than £2,500.

The Vauxhall Insignia held a national top 10 spot for the third month in a row.

And regionally, the Nissan Qashqai continued to shine with model variants making the top 10 in seven UK regions, with London as a hotspot.

There, 2012 diesel and petrol Qashqai variants took the top two positions, turning in an average of just 12 days. 

“Once again our figures show how quickly the market can change,” said Karolina Edwards-Smajda, Auto Trader director, retailer and consumer products. “Speed of sale is key and using market intelligence to complement experience can really help retailers keep one step ahead of the game - and help boost their profits. 

“In June, for example, the average car turned in 52 days and last month that rose to 53. However for those using Auto Trader’s i-Control product to manage their forecourts, the average days in stock were cut in half. Last month best practice users reported an average 29 day turn for cars on their forecourts.”

Analysts at Auto Trader have also pointed to some interesting trends in the regional figures. In the South of England, for example, the top ten was dominated by BMW and Vauxhalls. 

The 3 Series took the first three positions, followed by the Insignia, Corsa and Zafira. Only the Passat from Volkswagen prevented a clean sweep for the German and American giants.

Meanwhile, the top 10 for the East Midlands was also noteworthy in July, but for its close alignment with the SMMT ten new car sales figures. In total nine of the top ten fastest selling model variants also figured in the new car best sellers’ table.

> Top 10 selling used cars in July by UK region and average days to sell