The average sale price of an ex-fleet car is now £444 ahead of August 2006, according to Manheim’s latest market bulletin.

This reinforcing of used fleet values over the past two months comes after disappointing performances in May and June.

Average used prices increased from £5,613 in July to £5,689 in August, a rise of £76 despite average mileages being up by 1,000 to 53,800 and a two-month increase in average age to 44 months.

Looking at fuel variants, the largest price increase was in the diesel sector, which rose by £239 from £6,526 in July to £6,765 in August with little change in age and mileage.

Petrol variant prices fell by £84 to £4,685, but this will have been influenced by a two-month increase in average age to 47 months and average mileages rising by 2,357 to 44,242 miles.

The report continues to highlight the consistent gap in fleet replacement cycles with petrol models being replaced at around four years and at the 45,000 mile mark, while diesels are being defleeted at just over three years and around 65,000 miles.

In individual vehicle segments, the diesel compact executive (39 months/66,065 miles) and executive (39 months/70,267 miles) models fare best, returning 43% and 42% of original cost new respectively.

At the other end of the scale, petrol executive models (69 months/76,731 miles) and large family cars (54 months/68,991 miles) only made 22% and 24% of their original cost.