The Land Rover Defender has topped Aston Barclay’s used car desirability index, this month, as the most in-demand model.

The Defender’s 9.0 out of 10 score was the highest ever rating recorded by a used car in the index and 1.8 points behind its nearest rival the Mercedes GLC.

Few Defenders are coming to auction, but when they do they create a great deal of buyer attention which translates into multiple bids and very strong prices, the auction firm said.

“Dealers continue to buy higher value premium used cars to order, which is why they make up the majority of August’s index. Bidding on all higher value premium used cars remains highly competitive as dealers fight to secure stock for customers,” explained Mark Hankey, Aston Barclay’s chief revenue officer.

“At the opposite end of the market, the summer break has reduced demand for mainstream used cars as many dealers and consumers have chosen to go away on holiday after the pandemic restricted foreign travel. However, we believe the used market will perk up again for this type of stock in September,” he added.

Aston Barclay’s monthly index takes into consideration three key metrics: web views prior to sale, number of physical and online sale bids, and sale price achieved as a percentage of CAP average.

Premium-brand SUVs dominate the league table, with the Audi Q7, Jaguar F-Pace and BMW X5 all scoring highly.