Author: Aimee Turner
Thame Cars, Acklam Cars, Carlingo and Vertu Motors were among the many automobile dealers recognised on the 2026 Autotrader Retailer Awards in Manchester. The awards produced 31 winners from around 14,000 Autotrader dealer partners, with 93 finalists competing across nine categories. Now of their nineteenth yr, the awards combined evaluation of hundreds of thousands of information points with independent judging and consumer mystery shopping. Around 120 retailers attended the ceremony at Co-op Live to tell the tale October 6, the primary time the event had been held in Manchester. Automotive and van dealer winners Thame Cars, Acklam Cars and Carlingo…
Aimée Turner is deputy editor at Automotive Management, where she helps steer the every day and long-range editorial agenda for considered one of the UK’s most-read B2B titles serving automotive retail. Award-winning and deadline-hardened, she specialises within the parts of the industry where the stakes are highest and the jargon is thickest: technology, market development and the business model shifts that resolve who thrives and who simply survives. With 20+ years in journalism across automotive and aviation, Aimée has built a status for turning complex industry change into clear, usable insight. At Automotive Management she focuses on the EV transition,…
Dealerships could gain a clearer view of the timetable for motor finance redress next week when an Upper Tribunal case management hearing is predicted to make clear whether the important legal challenges to the multi-million compensation scheme will probably be heard in December or February 2027. The scheme which has been designed by the Financial Conduct Authority stays partially suspended following challenges from 4 parties over its scope, causation of loss, redress methodology and compensatory interest. Read Motor finance redress: from commission to compensation The consequence of the October 5-6 Upper Tribunal hearing could help dealers and their lending partners assess the…
Greater than 64% of prospective latest automotive buyers are considering an electrical vehicle, suggesting dealerships could face a much faster shift in demand than wider consumer sentiment indicates. Research from Manchester-based Automotive Insights found EV purchase intent amongst consumers expecting to purchase a brand new automotive increased by almost 18% between the third quarters of 2025 and 2026. This compares with a rise of around five percentage points across all vehicle buyers, taking overall EV purchase intent to just below 47%. The difference is very important for dealerships since it shows that interest in electric cars is concentrated amongst consumers closest…
Carwow increased group revenue by 22% to a record £104.2 million in 2025, although continued investment in its technology and products contributed to a £7.6m adjusted EBITDA loss. Revenue for the yr ended 31 December rose from £85.1m in 2024 as more consumers used the net marketplace to research, buy, lease and sell vehicles. Marketplace income generated by the Get Your Automotive and Sell My Automotive operations increased by 26% to £74.3m, making it the principal driver of group growth. The business operated across the UK, Germany and Spain in the course of the yr, with the UK remaining its…
Used light industrial vehicle values remained relatively stable throughout the traditional summer slowdown as growing confidence amongst dealers and auction buyers helped less desirable stock find buyers, writes Ken Brown, LCV valuations editor at Solera Cap HPI. The newest SMMT LCV registration figures for July show a 12 months on 12 months increase of just below 22%. At 28,578 units, that is the fourth consecutive month of growth in the brand new LCV market. 12 months thus far registrations are up by 7,743 units (+4.3%) to 187,224. With the September plate change, August registrations are prone to be significantly lower. Nonetheless,…
UK dealers selling all-electric cars made in Europe could face higher prices and reduced supply when tougher EU-UK battery sourcing rules take effect in January 2027. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) is warning that 82% of the 520,000 electric cars and vans expected to be exported from the EU to Britain next yr is not going to comply with the incoming rules of origin. In a letter to EU leaders, ACEA has asked the European Commission and EU member states to think about a brief change to the battery rules of origin within the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA),…
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice is looking for a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, a proposal that would disrupt the pricing, investment plans and stock strategies of UK dealers representing the fast growing recent entrants. Chinese brands including BYD, Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo, Leapmotor, AION and Geely are expanding their UK retail networks, with established dealer groups committing significant capital to showrooms, training, demonstration fleets and aftersales operations. A tariff at the extent proposed by Tice would substantially increase the import cost of affected vehicles unless manufacturers absorbed some or the entire duty. Talking to GB News, Tice warned:…
Warranty First has redesigned its repair plan portfolio with dedicated products for petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric vehicles, in addition to motorbikes, motorhomes and campervans. The brand new range moves away from adapting broadly similar products for various vehicles. As an alternative, each plan has been structured across the vehicle’s fuel type, use and certain repair exposure. Its five product families are: Journey for petrol and diesel cars and LCVs Drive for hybrid vehicles Charge for fully electric vehicles Ride for motorbikes Tour for motorhomes and campervans Journey offers three tiers, with eligibility determined by vehicle age and mileage. Journey…
Just yards from the Leicester Tigers rugby ground, and nearby of each Sandicliffe and Vertu dealerships, a brand new Polestar dealership has opened its doors, writes Professor Jim Saker, president of the Institute of the Motor Industry. On the face of it, there’s nothing particularly remarkable about one other automotive retailer joining certainly one of the UK’s established automotive clusters. Yet the timing of the opening is difficult to disregard. It comes as the US has announced that it has effectively blocked Polestar from selling recent vehicles from the 2027 model 12 months onwards, following the US Commerce Department’s decision to…