With the smoking ban set to begin throughout the UK on July 1, British Car Auctions (BCA), a leading vehicle auction company, is warning motorists that in-car smoking could seriously devalue the vehicle’s value when the time comes to sell .
Tim Naylor, PR Manager at BCA said, "We have conducted research amongst a representative sample of top professional motor trade buyers on the main factors that influenced the price of used cars . While specification remains the strongest price indicator, presentation is the next most important factor."
"Presentation is not just about how it looks, but how it smells! It’s another good reason for smokers to avoid lighting up in their car ."
"This will avoid the lingering smell of cigarettes hanging in the interior as well as eliminate the risk of discolouring and leaving scorch marks in the ashtray or on upholstery . All of these things will put buyers off, even if they smoke themselves," Naylor added.
Although professional valet services can lessen most of the effects of smoking, it is often expensive and time consuming and can even lead to the replacement of some interior trim. Cars in the best possible condition will always be favoured by trade buyers, who won’t mind paying the most for them.
Naylor continued by stating that there are now thousands of ex-fleet vehicles in the marketplace that have never been smoked in due to the smoking ban already in place in Wales and Scotland .
"It means any car that has been heavily smoked is potentially at a disadvantage when it comes to be sold," he concluded.
