Almost 420,000 consumers are expected to be behind the wheel of a new car on 1st September. But choosing to purchase a new vehicle from a high street dealer could mean paying over the odds, according to financial website moneysupermarket.com. It says that buying a new car online could save as much as £7,500 on the price of a car such as the new Audi A4 Saloon.

The website looked at the most searched-for cars on site and revealed a saving of £4,995 between the list price of a new Volkswagen Golf Hatchback (£15,995) and buying the same car online (£11,000).

John Sexton, head of cars at moneysupermarket.com, said: “Consumers are getting savvier about shopping online for many things, such as financial products, groceries and holidays, but when it comes to buying a new car some people are still hesitant to look online, preferring to visit their local dealer instead.

“Buying online is really the best way to save money as many ‘high-street’ dealers often won’t negotiate enough on new cars to reach a competitive price. As our research shows, in some cases you can expect to knock a staggering 38% from the list price when searching online, saving you literally thousands on your dream car.”