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    How to sell your Ford – the ultimate guide

    Famous worldwide for affordable and reliable vehicles across a range of models, Ford remains a behemoth of the motoring industry. Ford represents (at the time of writing) the UK’s most common car make on the road and the eighth most popular car brand. With so many Ford vehicles driven in the UK (nearly 4.5 million, to be exact!) it’s important to know the best way to sell your Ford.

    The story of Ford is the story of 20th-century business innovation. This car brand, based in the USA and still managed by some members of the Ford family, changed the way goods are made worldwide by promoting production line manufacturing systems (referred to as ‘Fordism’).

    For tips on how to sell your Ford, read on.

    How to sell your Ford
    With 4.5 million on UK roads this year, Ford is the most common car brand in the UK

    Value my Ford

    If you’re considering selling your Ford, the first step is to get an accurate valuation. Getting a sense of what your car is already worth will help you decide on the best way – and time – to sell. You can get a free and instant valuation at any time with Motorway.

    Fords start out as affordable cars, and the Motorway data shows a fairly typical trend in their depreciation over time. Their value tends to drop the most significantly after two years, and by about half by five years.’ time. 

    The median valuations for Ford Fiesta, Focus, and Kuga models after two years remain quite high, at around 85% of the original value. However, by five years of ownership, this value drops to just under half the original value, between 46% and 49%. After ten years of ownership, the prices converge to close to £5,000 across the three models. The Fiesta drops to approx. 25% of its new value, with the Focus at 23% and the Kuga at 17%. 

    This is based on Motorway’s internal data, and may not be indicative of the value of your Ford vehicle. 

    Valuation data from Motorway

    How long do Fords last?

    Many sources cite an average ‘healthy’ mileage of about 250,000 for most Ford models. Especially when maintained well and driven carefully, many Fords can make it even longer. As with most car brands, the most recent models tend to be much more durable and reliable than earlier releases, so you’ll probably get the best range from a newer car. 

    In 2020, several Ford models won J.D. Power Quality awards: the Ford Mustang won for midsize sporty car, the Ford Ranger won for midsize pickup and the Ford Super Duty F-250 SRW won for large heavy-duty pickup. The awards are based on feedback from verified car owners, and have often been seen as a good predictor of reliability. 

    Does Ford still make my model?

    Like many other car brands, Ford’s lineup is evolving in line with market trends and emissions goals. They recently announced their aim to offer a fully-electric passenger vehicle lineup by 2030 and for their entire range to be all-electric by 2035.

    Currently, in the UK market, they sell two small cars: Ford Fiesta and Ford Ecosport; and three further SUV/crossover models: the Ford Puma, Ford Kuga and Ford Mustang Mach-E. The performance category counts the above vehicles as well as the Ford Focus, Ford Mustang and sports car Ford GT. Also available are the Ford Galaxy and Ford S-Max large SUVs, and Ford Torneo minivan. 

    Ford currently sells hybrid versions of most of the above vehicles, and all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E and Ford e-Transit vans. According to their UK website, seven further electric vehicles will be released by 2024 including two new SUVs, an all-electric Ford Puma and four further EV Transit vans. They also plan to offer a plug-in hybrid version of every model they make by 2026.

    Since demand for saloon and compact cars has decreased, with SUVs proving increasingly popular throughout the UK and Europe, Ford has announced that production of the Fiesta will cease in 2023. Additionally, Ford stopped making the Mondeo for the European market in 2022. Small car fans may remember that the Ford Ka was taken out of production in 2021. Conversely to the trends for larger vehicles, the Ford Edge proved to be less popular in the UK than the smaller Kuga SUV, and so sales were discontinued in the UK in 2019.

    does ford still make my model
    Ford aims to have an entirely electric range by 2035

    Should I sell my discontinued Ford?

    If your Ford model has been discontinued, it doesn’t necessarily mean the used value is suddenly much higher or lower than previously expected. However, if it has been recalled, you should get it checked and repaired by a mechanic as soon as possible. You can find out if your car or its parts got recalled when you take it for its MOT. If your car has been recalled for any reason, and you have not had the issues fixed, you risk losing a fair bit of value — potentially more than the cost of repair.

    In the case that your model is about to be re-released, your own car could be relegated to ‘runout’ status. This would decrease its value when selling to or part exchanging with a dealership. It is definitely worth checking your car’s value regularly, and staying on top of news pertaining to your car model. 

    How to sell my Ford

    Fords are some of the most popular, reliable and affordable cars out there. It shouldn’t be hard to find a buyer for a used Ford in good condition; however, it’s worth finding out how to get the best price. Though there are many ways to sell your car, they do not offer the same experience.

    Checking your cars value regularly is the best way to know if a dealers offer is a good one.

    Sell to a dealership

    When you sell your Ford to a dealership, you can expect a fairly quick and easy transaction. That is, if you’re offered a price you’re happy with. You may find that the quotes you get from dealerships to buy your used Ford are much lower than the value you perceive your car to have. 

    It’s hard to know what you can do to find a dealer where your Ford will be worth more, since their offer will be partially based on discrete information such as their customer base and the margin they need to achieve. However, if you are determined to sell to a dealer, comparing offers from different locales might give you some more insight.

    Part exchange at a dealership

    Another way of working with a dealer is to part exchange, or trade-in, your existing Ford. Instead of agreeing to a sale transaction, what you get is a discount on your next vehicle, bought at that same dealership. Part exchange has been popular for a long time because it is so convenient — you can drive into the dealership in one car, and out in another — however, it rarely offers as good a payout as you would get in a separate transaction. 

    When you part exchange with a dealer, they are not necessarily selecting your existing car for their own forecourt. They might have plans to auction the car instead. Whatever the case, it’s hard to know their plans and have a full, transparent understanding of how your discount on a new car lines up with the value of your outgoing car. 

    Part exchange is often available at manufacturer-specific dealerships as well as more general dealerships. Ford does not directly offer this, but some Ford-approved dealers may. 

    Sell privately

    Selling your Ford privately may enable you to negotiate a strong price. However, getting there will take a lot of your time, effort, and money. 

    To find a market of motivated buyers, you’ll need to list your car online and/or locally. You’ll have to write a compelling description of your car, take good photos and potentially pay a small fee to boost your listing on sites such as AutoTrader, Facebook Marketplace, and Gumtree. Then, you’ll have to set up viewings and test drives, maintaining your safety and security throughout. There’s no guarantee of an offer after you’ve made time for these appointments. If you do get an offer, however, the next steps are to negotiate and handle a safe and secure payment. 

    By the end of the process, you might wish you hadn’t set out to sell privately after all. 

    The best way to sell my Ford

    If you’re thinking about selling your Ford quickly and easily, at Motorway we offer a simple — and completely free — method of getting the best price when selling, whatever the model.

    Just enter your reg on the homepage and you will be provided with an instant estimated sale price based on up-to-the-minute market data. We’ll then ask you a few easy questions about your car and guide you through the photos you need to take to complete your vehicle profile. It can be done right from your phone — in a matter of minutes.

    If you choose to enter your car into a daily sale, it will be shown to our nationwide network of more than 5,000 verified dealers looking to add to their stock of used cars. Interested dealers will then compete to buy your car, offering you their best price.

    In as little as 24 hours you will receive your best offer — and, if you choose to go ahead with the sale, your car will be collected for free by the dealer and the money will be quickly and securely transferred to your bank account.

    Sell your car with free collection. That’s the Motorway way.

    Thinking of selling?

    Want to learn more about selling your car? Check out more of our guides here, covering the most popular cars on the road, from Ford to Ferrari, Audi to Mercedes, and everything in-between.

    Sell your car the Motorway way

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