Selling privately is the favoured method of getting more than a trade-in price for your car - though it takes effort to get the best price.

Selling privately is cheap: less than £30 for an illustrated ad in Auto Trader (your ad will go online, too) or 101 websites until sold with DesperateSeller.co.uk. Advertising in local papers is even cheaper. Or put a 'for sale' sticker in the car's window or a card into local shops.

The downside is that you may need to be patient, particularly at quieter times of the year or if you're selling an unpopular model.

And a private sale can be a hassle. Waiting about for potential buyers to view your car eats up time, usually at weekends.