Towing, smoking in or transporting kids or pets can harm a used car’s value by 15%

Buyers after a used car are less likely to consider one that has been smoked in, towed with or used to transport children and pets, new research has found.

A new study by What Car has found that these issues can cause a used car’s value to fall by more than 15 per cent, with buyers finding them far less desirable.

A survey of 2,668 in-market buyers – of which 456 were looking for a used car – found that 85.6 per cent of the used buyers would be less likely to consider a vehicle that had been smoked in over an otherwise identical model. Some 60.7 per cent would be less likely to look at a model that had been used to tow, while 47.6 per cent would avoid used cars that had previously had pets in them.

In addition, 16.8 per cent would avoid cars previously owned by those with young children.

Smoking and pet ownership were the biggest red flags to used car buyers, with 84.8 per cent expecting to pay less for a car that had been smoked in. Some 64.7 per cent said the same of cars that had been used to transport pets,

When asked how much less they’d pay, 40.6 per cent of buyers said that they’d expect to see the price reduced by 15 per cent for a car that had been smoked in, with more than a quarter of respondents saying that they’d expect to pay between five and 10 per cent less for a vehicle that had been smoked in.

Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car, said: “Mileage, service history and overall condition are usually the big factors that determine a used car’s price, but as our research shows, habits of previous owners can have a significant impact on the perceived value of a used car.”