As someone who lives in Europe, the idea of paying over sticker price still baffles me. To my knowledge, there’s no such thing here on the Old Continent where you pay the advertised price in a worst-case scenario. Usually, dealers sweeten the deal with a discount to move more cars. That said, we do have a value-added tax (VAT) and other fees not applicable in the United States where vehicles are still generally cheaper.
A new study from iSeeCars shows many buyers from North America don’t have a problem with paying above the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. In January 2024, the MINI Hardtop topped the rankings among the cars priced the highest above the MSRP. On average, people paid 25.5% above sticker price to get a 3-Door. Despite an average MSRP of $29,858, customers actually forked out $37,473.
The chic hatchback wasn’t the only BMW Group product to make it to the top 20. The X3 M ranked ninth with 19.4% above MSRP ($90,057 vs $75,448). There were three more MINIs in the bottom half of the rankings: Countryman in the 13th spot with 18.7% above MSRP ($40,757 vs $34,337), Clubman in 14th position with 18.7% ($43,238 vs $36,435), and the Cooper SE in 18th position with 17.8% ($36,434 vs $30,918).
Overall, people paid on average 7.2% above the MSRP, shelling out $45,880 instead of $42,789. Porsche models were a hot commodity last month as the Zuffenhausen brand had no fewer than six models.
All those MINIs we mentioned are technically old cars since the 3-Door, electric Cooper SE, and the Countryman have transitioned to the next generation. However, it will be a while before they’ll hit the United States, and it’s especially true in the case of the EV model. The zero-emission variant is unlikely to be imported from China, so it might not hit stateside until 2026 (at the earliest) when the car will also go into production at home in Oxford.
As for the Clubman, production of the six-door wagon recently ended, without a direct replacement planned. Instead, MINI is about to launch an electric-only Aceman small crossover positioned below the Countryman.
Source: iSeeCars
