New car buyers heading out to dealerships over the next few days should negotiate hard to get the best deals, according to What Car?, which has named the Volvo S80 saloon as offering the best discount, with up to £7,312 off the list price.

What Car? said traffic to its website usually triples between Christmas and New Year’s Day as buyers start researching how much they should be spending on their next main purchase – a new car.

The magazine’s researchers found the Swedish manufacturer was the most “price-flexible” carmaker. It said most people should be able to knock at least 15% off the asking price of a Volvo, compared with the 10% Ford dealers would typically discount for those prepared to negotiate hard.

What Car? Target Price lists the discounts most buyers should be able to secure on their chosen car and forms a benchmark for many car shoppers.

The saving of £7,312 on a Volvo S80 exec saloon was achieved by What Car?’s mystery shoppers and is a saving of nearly a quarter on the car’s list price.

Volvo also boasts the most heavily discounted sports utility vehicle, the XC90 2.4 D5, which is available from dealers for £32,338 – a 20% saving on its list price.

What Car? said discounts on executive and luxury cars are particularly high partly because of their higher list price and profit margins.

The hot hatch Skoda Fabia 1.4 TSI 180 vRS can be bought at a 13% discount, while the Fiat Panda 1.2 Pop – the cheapest new car listed – is available at an 18% discount. Buyers of the Panda should pay no more than £7,477 compared with the list price of £9,095, according What Car?

What Car? editor, Jim Holder, said: “Securing a good deal on a new car is immensely satisfying and can save a fortune. Some discounts could pay for Christmas several times over.

“While vehicle production in Europe remains high, demand in the UK, at least, is strong. We’ve been expecting discounts to diminish but the insight provided by our Target Price team shows there are still fantastic deals on offer if you are willing to haggle hard.

“Like a number of other brands which will offer large discounts, Volvo is perceived as among the prestige carmakers, which means car buyers could secure themselves a luxurious and safe family vehicle at a great price,” he said.

New car sales in Britain have proved remarkably resilient in the UK since the credit crisis, in contrast to mainland Europe. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders new car registrations grew for the 33rd consecutive month during November. For the first 11 months of 2014, 2,310,237 new cars were registered, a rise of 9.4% on the same period in 2013.