Motorists can now purchase and pay for a car at Auto Trader’s newly unveiled car vending machine.

Located at Spitalfields Market in London, the unique car vending machine allows purchases of up to £21,000 using contactless payment via a smartphone. The machine contains a new Renault Zoe, one of the UK’s most searched for electric cars, with a “pre-haggled” price of £16,000.

The cars still come from dealerships, but Auto Trader pre-negotiates the price tag and then moves the vehicle to the vending machine. The final cost also reflects the Auto Trader prices that the website publishes online.

Auto Trader said it took a team of six engineers three months to craft the bespoke automatic car dispenser. The machine contains a point of sale system and key release function along with an integrated payment and door release mechanic.

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The purpose of the machine is to remove the discomfort some feel when having to haggle a price when buying a new car. According to a survey carried out by Auto Trader, 41% of 2,000 motorists surveyed said that having to negotiate with a sales person was their biggest anxiety when buying a new car.

The discomfort of haggling was followed by the anxiety over hidden costs (39%), making the wrong choice (28%) and a lengthy wait for the newly purchased vehicle (25%).

A spokesperson for Auto Trader said: “Buying a brand-new car is an exciting experience, but it can often be tarnished by anxiety around haggling and knowing whether you’re looking at the right price.

“So we’re showcasing a real-life version on what can be found on Auto Trader; brand new cars at transparent pre-haggled prices that you can drive away today.

“The only difference is that this Renault Zoe can be purchased at the touch of a card, testing London car buyers’ appetite for electric cars as well as a more instant purchasing future.”

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