Demand for used right hand drive cars abroad is growing and there are estimates that markets such as New Zealand could purchase two to three thousand cars per month from the UK.

Prices paid for some of the more sought after models being bought for export are going for £5-10,000 above the UK guide books, helping turn a tidy profit for vendors.

Peter Groftehauge, chief executive officer of Autorola, said: ‘For years the import/export sales activity has been very active for the left hand drive countries, but the steering wheel being on the right has restricted opportunities for UK vendors.’

‘Changing emission legislation is restricting the number of imports being brought into New Zealand from Japan, so the right hand drive market is looking to the UK to help bolster their used car volumes. UK Sterling is relatively low against the New Zealand dollar so even after a few thousand pounds in export costs and duty it still makes sense for them to buy ex-fleet cars from the UK.’

Cars are purchased online through Autorola, delivered to a UK port where they are put in a container and within just six to seven weeks the car can be on the other side of the world being driven by its new owner. This trend is likely to continue opening up new opportunities for vendors, particularly for some higher value executive cars.

UK vehicles are loaded onto Autorola’s web based platform and then can be bid on by buyers from Aldershot to Auckland at any time of day or night.

Good quality photos and an accurate, detailed vehicle description gives buyers confidence in what they are buying even when they are 11,500 miles away. Autorola encourages buyers to ask questions about the cars for sale online to further build buyer confidence and to encourage strong bids.

‘We will do anything we can to help buyers gain more knowledge of the car. We also work with vendors to ensure the best quality description and photos are logged and then posted online to help make buying and selling a simple process. We always check the specification and provenance in detail to ensure the vendor description matches that of the actual car being offered for sale,’ added Groftehauge.