Plucky motorists looking to save a packet should head for the web where they can save up to £4,000 on the most popular cars

Car buyers can cut thousands of pounds off the price of a new car if they buy online.

Plucky motorists looking to save a packet should head for the web where they can save up to £4,000 on the most popular cars on sale in the UK, according to consumer advice magazine Which?.

For example, a quick search on Auto Trader’s new car search found a Mercedes C-Class with up to £2,000 off the list price, while a new Renault Clio on the web was up for grabs at £2,550 less than it would cost on a dealer forecourt.

And you can save thousands if you want James Bond’s motor – a new Ford Mondeo on Auto Trader was up for sale at just over £3,000 off the list price.

Buyers can still save up to 7 per cent if they buy a car from a dealer’s forecourt, but inefficient and unprofessional salesmen were noted as obstacles.

One salesman said he would not give his best price until buyers sat down to sign an order so they couldn’t take the quote to another dealer.

However, internet car dealers do the hard work for you – they find the best price.

Which? motoring editor Richard Headland said: “We found shopping around online is simpler than negotiating with dealers yourself, and in most cases we obtained a better price.

“You can save hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds by shopping this way.

“Buying through a broker also means you don’t have to haggle with pushy salesmen. But if you choose to buy from a main dealer, an internet quote can give you the upper hand.”

For more help on buying a new car, read our comprehensive advice guides, including our how to haggle tips, how to buy both new and used cars, buying safe, and vehicle checks.

Auto Trader’s new car search has thousands of the UK’s most popular new cars for sale.