Best deals on 26-plate cars: Your ultimate guide to the brands and models with the biggest discounts

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It's the first weekend of March and for car buyers that means the best chance of 2026 to get a hefty discount on a new vehicle.

The third month of the calendar sees the arrival of the latest number plate age identifier. In this instance, the '26' plate.

With buyers traditionally flocking to showrooms in March to peruse the range of models carrying the most up-to-date registration digits, salesmen are always keen to dangle tempting deals to ramp up commissions.

And exclusive discount data shared with Daily Mail and This is Money shows that dealers are more willing to negotiate on list price than they were 12 months ago, with total savings on offer around 25 per cent stronger than they were in March 2025.

But with so much competition and every showroom looking to cash in during one of the two busiest months (September being the other), who is offering the biggest savings of all?

In the latest of our exclusive car pricing features supported by Insider Car Deals, we can tell you which makes and models are being slashed in price most.

March is typically one of the two busiest months for car showrooms due to the arrival of a new number plate. As the '26' plate lands, these are the best deals you can get on new motors

Best March discounts since the pandemic

Pat Hoy, founder of Insider Car Deals, says March discounts aren’t just better than last year - they’re the strongest since new car supply shortages were triggered by the Covid pandemic in 2020.

This means drivers can save more on a new motor this weekend than they’ve been able to for the best part of five years.

‘Dealers are genuinely competing again, manufacturer incentives are stacking up, and buyers have significantly more negotiating leverage than they did 12 months ago,’ Pat tells us.

And he knows.

Pat has spent almost 25 years analysing new-vehicle pricing, mystery shopping car dealers across the UK and calculating the best real-world discounts.

Based on his extensive historical data, he says the deals available across the market in March are 25.8 per cent better today than they were last March.

‘Dealers are less reluctant to offer bigger discounts, but consumers are having to work hard for it, as salespeople got used to being able to easily defend their profit margins over recent years as new-car supply issues created a seller’s market,’ he explains.

‘Improved cash and PCP incentives from manufacturers also allow savvy salespeople to claim credit for those incentives and avoid giving away more of their own margin, so negotiating hard and knowing what discounts are genuinely achievable is a must for buyers.’

Are EVs being discounted more than other fuel types?

Given the stalling demand for new electric cars in recent months and manufacturers’ need to meet increasing zero emission vehicle sales targets set out by government, drivers won’t be shocked to see the best deals are on battery cars.

The average total saving (combining the Government-backed Electric Car Grant discount, manufacturer incentives, finance incentives and showroom discounts) across all EVs in the market in March is 12.4 per cent - or the equivalent of a saving of £6,776 per car.

That compares to just 10.7 per cent off a typical petrol model, amounting to an average financial reprieve of £4,692 on list price.

But the big news is the growth in discounts offered on hybrids.

The average total saving is 11.3 per cent (£6,417). Compared to a year ago - when the average discount was 8.5 per cent off list price - this is a growth in discounting of almost 40 per cent.

‘We’ve been hearing for some time that manufacturers are switching their emphasis to hybrids to act as a bridge to EVs and because they’re more profitable, and the evidence seems to back that up,’ Pat says.

Don't overpay on your next car

Insider Car Deals helps car buyers uncover the best discounts achievable on the new car they want, based on independent research and real-world dealer mystery shopping.

Buyers can order a Personal Deal Sheet for their chosen model showing all applicable discounts and a clear target price to aim for when negotiating with dealers. For those who prefer not to negotiate themselves, Insider Car Deals can also negotiate with dealers on the buyer’s behalf.

If you already have a quote, Insider Car Deals lets you sense-check the deal, showing whether the discount you've been offered is weak, average or genuinely strong.

Buyers regularly secure substantial extra savings beyond advertised discounts — far outweighing the cost of the Deal Sheet itself.

Insider Car Deals does not sell cars and is not paid by dealers or manufacturers. Its role is simply to provide independent pricing insight so buyers can avoid overpaying and buy with confidence.

Every Personal Deal Sheet comes with a 14-day refund guarantee.

> Find out more by visiting Insidercardeals.co.uk

European brands providing the best deals

The arrival of new, cheaper, Chinese rivals has had a huge impact on the landscape of the UK market.

Registration figures show almost one in ten new models sold in Britain last year were Chinese cars.

Almost 200,000 motors entering our roads in 2025 were Chinese, up from 98,000 registrations the year previous.

This overwhelming growth has really hurt some legacy car brands, especially European marques who have seen their popularity diminished by more affordable East Asian alternatives that are heavily subsidised by Beijing.

As such, it’s the European manufacturer showrooms where drivers can secure the best discounts this month.

For those looking for the biggest of all savings available, visiting a Seat or Cupra dealership is by far your best bet.

Both owned by the VW Group, Cupra is the funkier, electrified spin-off of Seat with most of its models either fully electric or plug-in hybrid.

But given its relative unpopularity in the eight years since it became a standalone brand, bosses at VW are pushing to make Cupra stand out among the competition with ever increasing discounting.

In March, Pat says drivers can typically save 19 per cent on a new Cupra - an average of £8,305 per car, which is a 57 per cent increase on the 12 per cent discounts offered in March 2025.

While this is great news for prospective buyers, motorists must keep in mind the impact this can have on depreciation, with poor residual values biting hard when it does come time to sell a Cupra.

Total discounts at sister Seat dealers are on par at 19 per cent.

Peugeot (17.8 per cent discounts on average), Nissan (14.8 per cent) and Audi (14.7 per cent) showrooms are the other showrooms where you will be able to wangle the best deals on a 26-plate car during the month of March.

Now find the best discounts on the type of car you want…

We’ve asked Pat to reveal the three biggest model discounts across six major car segments.

Simply scroll to find the style of vehicle you’re looking to buy - from small hatchback runarounds to prestige motors - and we can tell you which three are being discounted most in with a 26-plate.

And to cater for all buyers, we have listed the best deals across both ICE (internal combustion engine) and electric cars.

‘It doesn’t matter which car segment buyers are looking at, double-digit discounts are routinely available across the board,’ Pat says.

But he says the best value remains with EVs, where a third of models are currently being offered with total savings exceeding 30 per cent.

For drivers looking for a frugal small car, the petrol 208 is a very good option. And it will surely be more enticing in March with discounts of up to 27%

SMALL CARS

For those wanting a small, frugal petrol runaround, perfect for city driving or a second family motor for the school run, the most heavily discounted option is the Peugeot 208.

The average on the road (OTR) price (the total price inclusive of delivery, registration and number plate cost) is £27,831. But Insider Car Deals says you negotiate up to £6,903 off that price using a combination of manufacturer incentives, discounts associated to the PCP arrangement, and some hard haggling with the salesman in the showroom. 

Coincidentally, this knocks the PCP monthly payments down to just £208 with 6.9 per cent APR from the manufacturer.

If you’re looking for an electric option, consider the Vauxhall Corsa. While the average OTR price is £32,109, Pat says his team of mystery shoppers secured a best discount of £11,570, which brings monthly PCP payments down to £261 with 7.9 per cent APR.

Insider Car Deals says the biggest discount on a petrol family hatchback at the beginning of March is almost 25% off the Seat Leon

FAMILY HATCHBACKS

As previously mentioned, Seat showrooms are the ones to visit if you’re looking for the biggest discounts of all. 

And for petrol family cars, it’s the tried-and-tested Leon that’s subject to the best deals.

The base-level SE trim with the impressive and efficient 1.5 TSI engine with 115PS is a great all-round package. Pat’s team of mystery shoppers managed to negotiate almost a quarter off the list price.

For those searching for an EV hatchback to transport their families, the most discounted choice with a 26 plate is the Vauxhall Astra Electric, with customers able to haggle a saving of up to 30.7 per cent off list, which in monetary terms keeps almost £12,000 in your pocket.

The biggest discount you can secure on a small SUV across all fuel types in March is for the Vauxhall Mokka Electric. Manufacturer and dealer discounts can account to a 36% saving 

SMALL SUVS

One of the most competitive market of all right now is compact SUVs. With just about every car maker having a model in this segment, there's plenty to choose from. And with competition comes big discounts as those proving less popular are being slashed by manufacturers and dealers to make them more appealing.

Take the Peugeot 2008 for example. Insider Car Deals managed to slash almost £10,000 off, which is a saving of nearly a third on the OTR price. 

The 1.2 PureTech 130 Allure petrol with an automatic gearbox is subject to the biggest savings.

For EVs, buyers can negotiate even bigger sums off list prices. The Vauxhall Mokka Electric represents the best deal in terms of discount size, with up to 36.4 per cent off the OTR figure, which amounts to a saving of as much as £13,500.

Buyers willing to haggle hard in showrooms this month can get up over a quarter of the OTR price knocked off a 26-plate example

FAMILY SUVS

With SUVs now accounting for more than one in three new registrations, salesmen and women are well aware of the high demand for vehicles of this ilk. But there are some that are still subject of appealing discounting.

Take the Peugeot 3008 petrol, for instance. Insider Car Deals reckons you can save almost £9,800 on some variants, which typically represents a quarter off the OTR price. Not bad for a stylish motor with plenty of room for five.

Cupra showrooms - which are offering to knock £1,000 off prices of all its cars before you even need to consider negotiating a deal - are a great destination for discounted family SUVs. 

Mystery shoppers managed to knock almost 20 per cent off the OTR price (a saving of more than £7,000) for an ICE Formentor and 26.6 per cent (nearly £13k) off the Tavascan EV. 

The Audi Q7 TFSIe plug-in hybrid is the luxury SUV buyers can secure the best discounts on in March, Insider Car Deals says

LARGE LUXURY SUVS

In the world of the largest and most luxurious SUVs, sizable discounts available in March can amount to savings of tens of thousands of pounds. And it's the only segment where an ICE discount is better than any deals you can secure on an electric alternative.

The ICE model in question is the Audi Q7 PHEV, which has an average OTR price of £86,404. 

That's far from cheap, but Insider Car Deals mystery shoppers said they could get £16,650 knocked off the price of this premium Audi hybrid.

The best percentage discount the team could secure on an EV is 21.1 per cent off the BMW iX - the German prestige marque's flagship electric SUV. This translates to a saving of almost £19,500 on some trim levels. 

The most significant total discounting on any prestige model is 17.3% off BMW's i5, with Insider Car Dealers' mystery shoppers managing to agree savings of up to £12,600

PRESTIGE CARS

While a far smaller representation of the market, prestige models are typically built in low volumes to reflect their exclusivity and high prices. 

This means manufacturers typically have less risk of producing more cars than there is demand for, reducing the likelihood of overstock-related discounts. But there are still some really good deals to be hand on 26-plate cars in March.

Insider Car Deals managed to negotiate almost £21,000 off the OTR price of an Audi A8 PHEV, representing a massive saving of 22.4 per cent on this flashy hybrid limo.

Switching to all-electric power, the most significant total discounting on any model in this segment is 17.3 per cent off BMW's i5 - the electrified version of the current 5 Series. This translates to a saving of more than £12,600 for customers. 

Biggest total discount based on independent real-world market research. Insider Car Deals does not sell cars or list offers  

PCP monthly payments relate to each respective model range and not just the specified trim. All PCP monthly payments shown are illustrative only and do not constitute an offer or financial advice. Figures are based on manufacturers' published PCP terms and typically assume a 4-year term, 8,000-10,000 miles per year, a 15% customer deposit, and any applicable manufacturer finance contribution. A Guaranteed Future Value (GFV) or final payment may be required to keep the vehicle at the end of the agreement. Always request a full written quotation from a supplying dealer before committing to purchase