The Mazda CX-5 has surged into 2025 with impressive sales speed and profitability, topping Dealer Auction’s Retail Margin Monitor for January.
The premium SUV provided the highest profit potential in the sub-£10,000 retail bracket, delivering an average retail margin of £2,150. It also proved to be a fast mover, tying as the quickest-selling model in the top 10, with an average turnaround of 27 days, and earning a strong Auto Trader Retail Rating of 92.1.
Following closely behind, the Renault Captur posted an average margin of £1,975, while the Volkswagen Golf came third at £1,950. Many of 2024’s high-performing models continued to generate strong returns, including the BMW 1 Series, and Kia Sportage.
However, the Ford Kuga, last year’s most profitable model, fell out of the top 10. Another standout was the Nissan Qashqai, which matched the CX-5’s speed-to-sale and retail rating while securing an average margin of £1,880.
This is the first Retail Margin Monitor under Dealer Auction’s new reporting structure, which now splits data into two categories: vehicles priced under £10,000 and those over £10,000.
Dealer Auction’s marketplace director Kieran TeeBoon noted that this fresh approach is already highlighting interesting trends. He pointed out that the Mazda CX-5’s strong sales momentum isn’t new – it has previously been recognised for rapid turnover, selling in just 23 days in May 2023, reinforcing its continued appeal for dealers in 2025.
In the £10,000+ category, the Volvo XC90 led with an average retail margin of £4,275, followed by the Jaguar F-PACE (£3,900) and the Range Rover Evoque (£3,850). Notably, the Land Rover Discovery Sport, which frequently dominated the rankings in 2024, slipped to fourth place with a £3,450 margin.
At the brand level, BMW topped the sub-£10,000 chart, maintaining its strong 2024 performance with an average profit of £2,150. Audi followed at £2,025, while Mazda secured third with £1,925.
Meanwhile, two high-performing brands from last year – Volvo and Mercedes-Benz – dropped out of the sub-£10K bracket but remained strong contenders in the premium segment. In the £10,000+ category, Land Rover led the pack with a £4,400 average margin, followed by Volvo (£3,325) and BMW (£3,225).
TeeBoon concluded that 2025’s market trends emphasize versatility, urging dealers to focus on desirability and adaptability rather than relying solely on past performance or auction prices and that with demand shifting, stocking a diverse range of high-margin vehicles at multiple price points will be key to maximising profits in the months ahead.
