Dealer Auction’s Retail Margin Monitor has revealed the most profitable trade vehicles for 2025.
The petrol Peugeot 2008 took the top spot in the sub-£10,000 retail bracket, followed by the Ford Kuga and Nissan Qashqai (the fastest mover of the top 10).
Dealer Auction’s Marketplace Director, Kieran TeeBoon, said: “Pressure points around regulation, emissions and taxation didn’t disappear in 2025, but they certainly sharpened decision-making.
“The crossovers between our most profitable models and our best sellers are evidence of this. The data is doing its job!”
Interestingly, while the petrol and diesel Qashqai both appeared in the sub-£10,000 retail bracket, the hybrid version also appeared in third place in the over-£10,000 chart, with an average margin of £3,350.
The over-£10,000 chart was led by the Land Rover Discovery Sport (£3,850) and Range Rover Evoque (£3,575).
The platform’s top 10 for sales volume for the year included the Qashqai, Golf and Sportage.
The Audi S3 was the top-performing model in the sub-£10,000 retail bracket, while the Land Rover Defender 110 stood out in the over-£10,000 retail bracket.
Other models for dealers to watch going forward are the Jaguar E-PACE, Tesla Model Y and the SEAT Tarraco.
At brand level, in the top 10 makes for models with a retail value of under £10,000, Land Rover took top spot with an average retail margin of £2,875, followed by BMW (£2,300) and Mercedes-Benz (£2,275).
Land Rover topped the monthly margin table every month during H2 2025.
TeeBoon concluded: “We’re entering 2026 with a healthy market, hopefully one of 2019 activity levels. Our annual platform round-up gives dealers even more reasons to be cheerful: trade demand remains robust, with genuine opportunities to uncover margin in the right stock.
“It is, however, an increasingly complex market. Brand competition is intensifying and consumers are more willing than ever to switch, creating a more conquest-driven landscape.
“To succeed in 2026, dealers need to be sharper, faster and more data-led than ever – using real-time insight to sway choice and convert these open-minded consumers into buyers!”
