ISeeCars analyzed used car transactions among the top 25 best selling vehicles to determine the average savings at each major dealership type (listed alphabetically). “Additionally, rental car companies are also more likely to discount their vehicles given the financial hardships they are facing from the COVID-19 pandemic.” Best Places to Buy Popular Vehicles “Because rental car companies buy their cars at a high volume and at a discounted rate, they’re able to sell these vehicles for less to consumers, and they price the vehicles to sell in order to move their inventory quickly,” said Brauer. On average, rental car dealers provide the biggest savings, with cars priced 1.6 percent or $303 below the market value of a used car . Best Places to Buy a Used Car Dealer Type “It’s important that used car shoppers compare prices across these types of dealers if they want to get the best deal possible on a used car.”Ĭar search engine analyzed over 8.5 million used car sales across the three dealer types of traditional local dealerships, virtual dealerships, and rental car companies and found that rental car dealers consistently provide the greatest savings, while local dealerships are priced close to market value and virtual dealerships are priced above market value. “As contact-free online dealers have gained popularity as a safe alternative to traditional dealerships, and as struggling car rental companies unload their inventory, consumers might be considering these alternatives to traditional brick and mortar dealerships,” said iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer. With used car prices up and multiple sources to buy a used car from, car buying consumers should examine all their options when trying to save money and find the best deal on a used vehicle. Used car prices have risen in 2020 due to increased demand and limited inventory as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While deals aren’t as significant at traditional local dealerships or online dealerships, savings can still be found.Traditional local dealerships provide over $400 in savings compared to online dealerships.Savings at rental car companies are on average $334 greater than at traditional local dealerships, $747 greater than online dealerships.Rental car companies provide more savings than other retailers to buy a used car, with an average of 1.6 percent savings or $303 according to iSeeCars analysis of over 8.5 million vehicles.