A shiny new laptop is one of the most expensive pieces of tech you can buy. But unless you’re a hardcore gamer or rendering 4K video for a living, the reality is that you probably don’t need to drop two grand on a factory-fresh device.
Going refurbished is the smartest way to upgrade your laptop, without leaving a gaping hole in your savings account. Not only does buying refurbished keep perfectly good electronics out of landfill, but you can often bag a high-spec, premium laptop – like an Apple MacBook or a Dell XPS – for the price of a budget model.
The word “refurbished” used to conjure up images of dodgy secondhand electronics sold out of the back of a van, but the market has matured massively. Today, trusted retailers put pre-owned laptops through rigorous diagnostic tests, replacing failing parts and guaranteeing their handiwork with a fresh warranty.
To help you shop for a second-hand laptop with confidence, I’ve broken down the best and most trustworthy refurbished laptop retailers in the UK, exactly how their grading systems work and the best deals you can pick up from them today.
Read more: These are the best refurbished PS5 deals in the UK
Back Market refurbished laptop deals: Backmarket.co.uk
Back Market has quickly become a giant of the refurbished tech world. Keep in mind that Back Market is a marketplace, not a direct refurbisher. That means it connects buyers with third-party, professional sellers.
To keep the quality high, sellers have to jump through strict hoops to be listed, and Back Market guarantees that every laptop will have a minimum of 85 per cent battery health. It also offers a generous 30-day return window and a 12-month warranty across the board, which offers great peace of mind.
Condition grading:
- Premium: Flawless screen, and the body will have almost no signs of use. Laptops contain only genuine manufacturer parts and batteries, with at least 90% battery capacity.
- Excellent: No scratches on the screen, but some very light signs of use on the body (invisible at a distance of 20cm).
- Good: No scratches on the screen, but some light signs of use on the body (invisible at a distance of 50cm).
- Fair: Same as a good grade, but some light scratches on the screen that aren’t visible when the device is on.
Back Market splits its refurbished laptop range into five categories: MacBooks, Windows laptops, Chromebooks, 2-in-1 convertibles and gaming laptops. You can find a small discount on the 14in MacBook Pro M4 in excellent condition (was £1,599, now £1,175, Backmarket.co.uk), and a giant saving on the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 in fair condition (was £1,509, now £180, Backmarket.co.uk).
Music Magpie refurbished laptop deals: Musicmagpie.co.uk
No longer just about flogging your old CDs, Music Magpie has expanded its remit to become one of the UK’s biggest tech refurbishers. Unlike Back Market, it handles the refurbishment process entirely in-house at its own high-tech facility, where every laptop undergoes a rigorous 90-point diagnostic check before it’s put on sale.
If you prefer dealing directly with a single UK-based retailer rather than a private seller, this is the place to go. Music Magpie offers free delivery, a 14-day money-back guarantee and a 12-month warranty covering any technical defects.
Condition grading:
- Pristine: Cosmetically flawless and fully tested. Basically box-fresh.
- Very Good: Fully tested with very light, minor signs of use.
- Good: Fully tested but with moderate, noticeable signs of wear and tear.
At the time of writing, Music Magpie’s range of refurbished laptops includes the newest MacBook Pro M5 for £130 less than buying it brand new (£1,569, Musicmagpie.co.uk). That’s in “pristine” condition, which means it’s essentially brand new. Elsewhere, you can find an older Dell XPS 13 at a hugely discounted price (£424.99, Musicmagpie.co.uk).
Amazon Renewed refurbished laptop deals: Amazon.co.uk
Amazon’s refurbished wing is enormous, offering a huge selection of laptops from Apple, Lenovo, Dell, HP and more. The obvious draw here is the convenience: you get the familiar Amazon checkout experience, and Prime members get fast, free delivery.
All laptops sold have been tested and cleaned by Amazon-qualified suppliers and battery health is guaranteed to be at least 80 per cent. The guarantee is generous, too. Amazon gives you a full year to return your laptop for a replacement or refund if it’s faulty, defective or does not work as expected.
Don’t get confused between Amazon Renewed and Amazon Resale. The latter (formally called Amazon Warehouse) is for non-refurbished, returned items and comes with a 30-day return policy rather than the one-year guarantee you get with Renewed.
Condition grading:
- Excellent: No damage to the screen and no visible damage to the body from 30cm away.
- Good: No screen damage, but light scratching is visible on the body.
- Acceptable: Superficial scratches on the screen that can’t be seen when turned on, and visible scratches or minor dents on the body.
Right now you can find big savings on the Dell Latitude 5400 with 16GB of RAM (£191, Amazon.co.uk), while the cheapest MacBook I’ve found (£219, Amazon.co.uk) comes in at less than £300, in excellent condition. It’s worth rolling the dice on lower-quality refurbs – you can often end up with a much better device than you expected, and if not you can just send it back.
Laptops Direct refurbished laptop deals: Laptopsdirect.co.uk
Laptops Direct is one of the best places to go for good deals on new laptops, so it makes a whole lot of sense that it’s also a great destination when looking for refurbished tech, particularly if you’re in the market for everyday office workhorses like the ThinkPad.
The retailer’s GO Refurb range evaluates pre-owned laptops in-house with a comprehensive 25-point inspection. Uniquely, its refurbishment standards are BSI Kitemark certified, which is only awarded to products that meet the independently audited criteria of the British Standards Institution. You get up to a 12-month warranty included, and it often carries relatively recent models and MacBooks alongside older stock.
Condition grading:
- Excellent: Like-new cosmetic condition. These are often just unwanted, box-opened returns.
- Very Good: Very light cosmetic marks, like minor scratches, but in full working order.
- Good: In full working order and good cosmetic condition but with noticeable scratches or dents, which is reflected in the discounted price.
Refurbished deals at Laptops Direct include the Dell Latitude 5490 in excellent condition (£319.97, Laptopsdirect.co.uk). It’s an older device, but well-specced with 16GB of RAM, making it perfect for office work. The resale market for MacBooks is a lot more competitive, so savings aren’t as steep, but you can still find a decent discount on an 2023 MacBook Pro in excellent condition (£899.97, Laptopsdirect.co.uk). Apple’s M3-powered laptop cost £1,699 when it launched three years ago.
EuroPC refurbished laptop deals: Europc.co.uk
Founded in 1997 and based in Glasgow, EuroPC is a star of the UK refurbished tech scene with a focus on business-to-business sales, though it also sells to consumers looking for a good deal. It’s a certified partner for Acer, Dell and HP, meaning a huge chunk of its inventory is actually manufacturer-refurbished or simply cancelled, unboxed orders that can’t be sold as brand new.
Because of this close relationship with three big brands, you can often bag warranties that stretch up to three years (with some even offering next-business-day on-site repairs, which is practically unheard of in the refurbished space). It also offers a reassuring 30-day money-back guarantee, no quibbles.
Condition grading:
- Manufacturer Open-Box: The holy grail of refurbished tech. These are unused cancellations or returns with zero cosmetic wear, complete with a full manufacturer warranty. It’s a new laptop at a discount.
- Manufacturer Refurbished: Certified by the original manufacturer to “as-new” functional standards. They might have very light handling marks, but they come with a manufacturer warranty.
- EuroPC Refurbished: Professionally refurbished in-house by EuroPC or its partners. These might include repaired parts and show minor cosmetic wear, backed by a EuroPC warranty.
- Second-User Refurbished: Previously owned laptops that have been fully tested and serviced. Expect visible signs of everyday use, reflected in a much lower asking price.
At the budget end of things, you can save around more than £600 on a manufacturer-refurbished Dell 14 pro (was £1,470, now £851.99, Europc.co.uk). Alternatively, if you’re planning on going big with a top-of-the-line gaming laptop, you’ll save £420 on an “open-box” Acer Predator Helios Neo (was £2,100, now £1,679, Europc.co.uk). Open-box is a return or a cancelled order that hasn’t been used, making it effectively brand new with a full manufacturer warranty.
The iOutlet refurbished laptop deals: Theioutlet.com
While this Plymouth-based retailer dabbles in all sorts of other devices and games consoles, The iOutlet’s bread and butter is Apple gear, making it a good shout if you’re hunting for a discount on an older MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. Every laptop that comes through its doors is subjected to a 70-point diagnostic check to ensure everything is running exactly as it should be, before it goes up for sale.
The iOutlet has a solid reputation for customer service, and a 12-month warranty across all its refurbished MacBooks keeps you covered against technical faults. It also offers a generous 45-day return window for online purchases—giving you more than enough time to change your mind or send it back if the laptop isn’t quite the right fit.
Condition grading:
- A+ Grade – Pristine: Like-new condition with no visible signs of wear.
- A Grade – Excellent: Excellent condition with only very minor, superficial signs of wear, such as light scratches or scuffs.
- B Grade – Good: Shows moderate signs of wear across the laptop, such as noticeable scratches on the casing.
- C Grade – Average: Shows signs of heavy, noticeable wear and tear, but has been fully tested and remains in perfect working order.
You can grab a grade B 2024 MacBook Air (£649.99, Theioutlet.com), or save even more on a slightly older, grade A MacBook Air (£569.99, Theioutlet.com). Want the absolute cheapest deal available? The iOutlet has stock of MacBooks as far back as 2018, starting at £219.99 for grade B and £259.99 for grade A.
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