Our history
From humble beginnings, we’ve
evolved from an entrepreneurial print
media business into the UK’s largest
digital automotive platform.
Looking back over the years,
we’ve come a long way...
2023
Launched digital retailing capabilities
Launched two digital retailing consumer journeys: a used car Deal Builder journey and a fully online retailing journey for new vehicles on Auto Trader.
2022
What Car? partnership
As of July, we began powering the used car search function on both What Car? and its sister site, Autocar.
2022
We acquired Autorama, one of the UK’s largest transactional marketplaces for leasing new vehicles.
2021
Automotive Carbon Literacy Toolkit
At COP26 we launched the first ever Automotive Carbon Literacy Toolkit, funded and developed in partnership with the Carbon Literacy Trust, and designed in close collaboration with leading retailers and manufacturers.
2021
Auto Trader Connect
We launched a powerful stock management solution designed to enable retailers to update multiple back-end and consumer facing systems with advanced data in real-time.
2021
Guaranteed Part-Exchange
We launched our Guaranteed Part-Exchange (‘GPX’) and Instant Offer products. GPX enables the consumer to get a guaranteed price for their part-exchange, while Instant Offer enables private sellers to sell their car at a guaranteed price.
2020
Retailer COVID support
Throughout the pandemic, we supported the industry in every way we could, including product developments to enable digital retailing, regularly sharing data and insight to support our customers’ business decisions, through to financial support provided with discounted packages, free periods, and deferred payment terms.
2020
AutoConvert acquisition
We acquired AutoConvert, a finance, insurance, and compliance software platform with integrated customer relationship management solutions.
2020
Market Insight tool launched
We launched Market Insight, a powerful tool to help retailers identify and adapt to market trends as they happen.
2019
KeeResources acquisition
We acquired KeeResources, a trusted provider of software, data and digital solutions to the automotive industry — further supporting our taxonomy and pricing data solutions.
2019
Launched new retailer products
We launched two new products to retailers: Text Chat and Vehicle Check. These products benefit both consumers and retailers, helping build trust between the two.
2019
New Car launched
We launched our brand new car proposition, to make us as synonymous with new cars as we are with used.
2018
Joint venture with Cox Automotive
We created a joint venture with Cox Automotive, Dealer Auction, to provide an innovative digital marketplace for wholesale vehicles.
2018
Re-launched our Managing products
i-Control became Retail Accelerator, our most powerful tool yet, which helps retailers manage their forecourts using unrivalled data and insight.
2016
Driving into finance
We gained FCA authorisation, enabling us to show the monthly borrowing cost of a vehicle based on a retailer’s preferred lender. This marked another step on our journey of making the process of buying and selling a car smoother and easier.
2016
Market Report launch
In February 2016 we launched the first edition of our Market Report, a biannual review of the UK’s new and used car market. The report quickly grew in scale and influence offering data, insights and market commentary from Auto Trader and our industry peers.
Whilst the report has now evolved beyond standalone editions, we continue to share our data and industry insights on a variety of topics — such as the Road to 2035, on a regular basis.
2015
Admission to the London Stock Exchange
On 24th March, Auto Trader listed on the London Stock Exchange.
2015
Expert valuations
We launched our free valuation tool, giving consumers the most accurate view in the market of the price of their car.
2014
New offices open
We created new working areas by moving staff to state-of-the-art offices in central Manchester and King’s Cross, London.
2014
Happy 35th birthday
What started as a regional magazine had become one of the UK’s most recognisable automotive brands. Happy birthday!
2009
Big on the small screen
With smart phones becoming widely used, we launched a dedicated mobile website to help people search on smaller screens.
Today's automotive market
Staying ahead in a competitive marketplace requires constant evolution, agility and relentless tech-led innovation.
Read MoreEngaging with stakeholders
Maintaining a clear, consistent dialogue with our stakeholders is key to fulfilling our purpose and ensuring the long-term success of our business.
Read More
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