In one of the most striking signs yet of the conflicting pressures buffeting the automotive industry, some new cars are now selling more cheaply than used vehicles.

A shortage of good-quality used cars combined with aggressive discounts offered on many new ones by retailers and manufacturers now mean that some new cars can be had for as much as £1,000 less than used ones in good condition. 

Parker’s, the car-buying price guide, on Wednesday said it had spotted a new Vauxhall Corsa available from one dealer for £5,995 – nearly £500 less than a used model with 5,160 miles on the clock selling for £6,494.

The guide also spotted a Mazda 6, available new for £11,485 from car supermarket Cheap-Cars-Online, being sold used with 2,500 miles on its clock for £1,000 more, at £12,499.

“For the first time, used cars are more expensive than new,” Parker’s said. It noted that the shift was not across the board, but said this was the first time it had seen used cars command a premium over new ones since the guide’s launch in 1972.

In recent months used car prices have been climbing in the UK and many other big markets, including the US, because of a shortage of available stock as new car sales plummet and recession-squeezed consumers shift to second-hand models.

Manufacturers including Vauxhall – owned by struggling General Motors – and Peugeot-Citroën are offering steep incentives on new cars to keep their inventories low as they contend with their slowest sales in decades.

The financial squeeze faced by many dealers and the rise of car supermarkets and brokers have also contributed to the downward pressure on new-car prices.

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