Cars made by Land Rover offered the greatest profit potential in online auctions in the first three months of 2026, according to Carwow.
The car sales platform said it had analysed the difference between actual selling prices at auction and Cap retail valuations to determine potential dealer profit, before fees and prep costs, and found that in Q1, Land Rover models had an average profit potential of £3,914, giving the brand first place in its ranking ahead of Audi at £3,050 and Lexus at £3,028.
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Completing the top ten were Tesla (£2,821), Jaguar (£2,812), Toyota (£2,588), MG (£2,554), Fiat (£2,553), Renault (£2,538) and Peugeot (£2,466).
Land Rover also tops model profitability rankings
Land Rover also had the most profitable model in Q1 according to Carwow’s analysis, with the Range Rover Sport Dynamic SE at £6,212, ahead of the BMW X5 at £2,906 and the Kia Sportage GT-Line S at £2,899.
Completing the model top ten were the Mercedes-Benz GLA AMG Line (£2,577), Cupra Formentor V2 (£2,438), Kia Sportage GT-Line (£2,326), MG ZS Exclusive (£2,322), Hyundai Tucson Ultimate (£2,289), Mercedes GLB AMG Line (£2,203) and Volvo XC40 Plus (£2,193).
Matt Cockerill, vice president of performance and trading at Carwow, said: “Land Rover, Audi and Lexus consistently appear in our quarterly lists of ‘most profitable’ brands, with Land Rover last topping the list in the third quarter of 2025, underscoring its enduring appeal on the used car market and the affordability of auction stock.
“SUVs continue to dominate the top 10 models, which is consistent with the strong demand we’ve seen across the wider used market.
“Electric vehicle examples, meanwhile, have fallen from the top ten list, likely due to evolving government policy and changing cost considerations, which have tempered the appeal of EVs for some consumers.”