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Car manufacturers should make it easier to check what essential equipment should be included with different used vehicles, according to the Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA).
Such equipment could include smart keys, different charging cables for electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids, and removable tablet displays in some high-end models.
VRA deputy chair Sam Watkins said: "More and more equipment is finding its way onto cars - and vans too - that is easily removable but which potentially costs a lot of money to replace if it is missing.
"These items are essential to the operation of the vehicle and the car or van generally cannot be sold without them.
"In many instances, the retailer or trader ends up footing the bill, which can easily be more than their margin in the vehicle."
Watkins said the problem is that it is very difficult at first glance to know what equipment should be provided with a used car.
"Even the most informed motor industry professional is unlikely to be able to examine a vehicle quickly and have a mental checklist," he said.
"What we need is a fast and easy industry resource and the people best placed to provide this information are motor manufacturers themselves."
Watkins said that the information would also be of benefit to manufacturers as it would help to protect residual values.
He said: "What a manufacturer doesn't want to happen is that the trade starts to avoid a particular model because it becomes known that the smart key is often missing and costs hundreds of pounds to replace, for example.
"All it would take is regularly updated information that would allow trade buyers to quickly check what items should be included with a vehicle.
"This could be disseminated through the established pricing data companies and the manufacturers themselves."
Watkins said that as an increasing number of vehicles were being fitted with removable equipment, the need for the information would become ever greater.
He added: "To some extent, the same principle also applies to some items that are sold as options but are generally bought with the car, especially on EVs and hybrids.
"These may include different charging cables and converters that can be expensive to buy and replace."
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