At a glance:
- The Vauxhall Mokka X took the number one spot for profit potential, with the original Mokka also joining the top 10
- The Corsa was a surprise profit performer in the £10k+ retail bracket, reflecting demand
- Hyundai appeared in top 10 profit-making brands for the first time since May 2025
- Amid a shortage of 5–6-year-old vehicles, older reliable run-arounds like Volkswagen Golf and Vauxhall Insignia prove popular
March 2026 – Dealer Auction’s latest Retail Margin Monitor has revealed that two Vauxhall Mokka models offered dealers compelling profit potential in February. The Mokka X took the number one spot in the top 10 (sub-£10,000 retail bracket), while older sibling, the Mokka, bookended the chart.
The Mokka X has been a regular fixture in the top 10, but it hasn’t topped the chart since October 2025. February marked a return to form for SUVs in general, after hatchbacks dominated the margins in January. As well as being highly profitable, the Mokka X and Mokka are competitively priced, achieving 107% and 118% CAP Clean respectively.
Elsewhere in the top 10, the Nissan Juke made a rare appearance, while interestingly, the Qashqai dropped out of the chart. The consistant Retail Margin Monitor performer had recently seen its petrol and diesel iterations snag spots in the table. The Vauxhall Mokka duo was joined by the Insignia, with the Astra sitting just outside the top 10.
The Ford Focus proved a speedy seller – shifting in 25 days on average. Across the board, Dealer Auction saw its average days to sell hit record lows, with a listing taking just 2.62 days from ‘first seen’ to sold.
Dealer Auction’s Marketplace Director, Kieran TeeBoon, commented: “It’s brilliant to see the pace – and volume – at which used cars are selling. Profit potential is a key metric, but so is ensuring a quick sale and getting that cash back in the bank.”
Turning to the top 10 for models retailing above £10,000, and the UK’s smartest digital marketplace revealed that the Land Rover Discovery Sport topped the chart once again (£4,150). But that’s where the similarities with January ended. There was more success for Vauxhall, with the Corsa surging to second place (£2,800), and there were new entries for the Audi A1 and Hyundai Bayon. The Corsa might not be commonly associated with premium price points, but it shows drivers are prepared to pay for the right model.
The Hyundai i10 also joined the Bayon in the over-£10,000 chart – perhaps playing a role in boosting Hyundai into the top 10 makes for the first time since May 2025. In that chart, BMW took the top spot, followed by Mercedes-Benz and Audi.
As we move further into 2026, industry commentary has focused on the pandemic stock shortage making its way through the parc, now impacting the supply of cars registered in 2020 and 2021.
TeeBoon concluded: “The current news points to dealers being wary of stock availability. This is where the proven models come into their own. It’s no coincidence that the Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf and Vauxhall Insignia are staking claims in the profit charts. These reliable runarounds have stood the test of time, and it makes sense they’re proving a popular choice with customers and dealers who are setting their sights on older models. It will be interesting to see how this trend develops.”
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About Dealer Auction
Dealer Auction is the UK’s leading digital remarketing platform. We give buyers and sellers more choice, better insight and greater margins. Dealer Auction is an independent company, created through a joint venture between Cox Automotive and Autotrader. For more information, visit www.dealerauction.co.uk.
Launched in January 2022, Dealer Auction’s Retail Margin Monitor tracks the potential retail margin that can be achieved on vehicles bought via Dealer Auction’s open network. We track models meeting two key criteria: more than 20 units sold with a retail price of less than £10,000 (we also track any standout models that retail at more than £10,000). We then compare the sold price for each model with the Autotrader market average to reveal the potential margin. For the brand table, we compare models with more than 50 units sold of models retailing at less than £10,000. We crunch the numbers at the start of every new month.
This edition analyses data from 1 to 28 February 2026 for the monthly analysis.
