Despite the increased cost of petrol, higher vehicle excise duty and car insurance costs, motor sales of vehicles with of 2000cc plus have increased says car supermarket chain Carcraft.

Research released by the company in November 2007 said that last year the demand for larger vehicles hit record levels, compared with the same period in 2006.

Motorists who chose larger cars accounted for 11.5% of all sales in the first 10 months of last year, says the car dealership. This was compared with 9.5% in 2006.

The typical motorist who bought a second hand car over 3000c was a male aged between 51-65 years old.