Although the perceived wisdom is that values generally drop through the latter months of the year before rising again in January, Manheim says its data shows that the reverse.  

During winter 2012/13, the firm’s market figures show that the wholesale value achieved at auction was higher in December than January. In December 2012, the average selling price achieved at auction across the entire market was £5,361, with values falling to £4,786 in January 2013. In addition, for the same period, the average reserve price fell by £666, from £5,501 to £4,835, while the average CAP clean values fell from £5,699 in December 2012 to £4,980 in January 2013.

 Daren Wiseman, valuation services manager at Manheim, said: ‘The figures that we have suggest that the January bounce that many vendors rely on to maximise wholesale values is not always the most appropriate approach within the current market.

‘There are many reasons to sell before Christmas, but perhaps the most important is that costs involved with holding on to stock will be minimised and unnecessary interest charges can be avoided. This, in turn, will provide a strong balance sheet at the end of the year and can enable volume targets to be reached.’