2025 annual report
Driving Change Together.
Responsibly
Auto Trader is committed to improving the efficiency of car buying and selling in the UK, to building stronger partnerships with customers, using its influence to drive more environmentally friendly vehicle choices and enabling this through a culture that allows our people to develop and perform.
With the largest number of car buyers
and the largest choice of trusted stock,
Auto Trader’s marketplace sits at the
heart of the UK car buying process.
+ 05 %
ARPR growth in the year, driven by our product and pricing levers
(2024: 12%)
89,000
software releases delivered over the year
(2024: 65,000)
c. 2,000
Deal Builder customers live in March 2025
(March 2024: c.1,100)
2040
is the year we are committed to achieving net zero
14,013
average number of retailer forecourts in the period
(2024: 13,783)
91 m
API calls per month on average
(2024: 86m)
c. 49,000
deals generated on Deal Builder in 2025
(2024: c.16,000)
91 %
of Auto Trader employees are proud to work at Auto Trader
(March 2024: 97%)
Matt Davies
Chair
Nathan Coe
Chief Executive Officer
Our customer engagement continues to grow with record numbers of buyers and sellers using Auto Trader and our data and technology are increasingly being used by retailers
to power their businesses.
I am pleased to report another set of strong Auto Trader results. Our customer engagement continues to grow with record numbers of buyers and sellers using Auto Trader and our data and technology are increasingly being used by retailers to power their businesses. Nathan sets out in the subsequent report the drivers that we believe will continue to serve us well over the years ahead.
We remain confident in the outlook for the business given our strong market position, the value we deliver for customers, and unique data and technology capabilities.
We are now a full 10 years post our IPO in March 2015. In keeping with our approach last year, we want to position our short-term results in the context of the long-term Auto Trader investment case. One of the strengths of the Auto Trader business over its 48-year history has been its consistent performance and growth through changing market and economic conditions.
Our
purpose-driven
strategy
Our
purpose-driven
strategy
Our purpose continues to be Driving Change Together. Responsibly. We deliver on this through our three strategic priorities detailed below, alongside our commitment to always working responsibly.
Marketplace
Be the best place to buy and sell a car
The largest and most engaged consumer audience underpins our network effect marketplace model.
Platform
Be the industry’s data & technology platform
Through a combination of our unique data set, scaleable technology and wide-ranging partnerships, we are uniquely placed to be the data and technology platform for UK automotive.
Digital retailing
Be the enabler for all retailers to sell online
We are building products and services to enable consumers to do more
of the vehicle buying journey online.
Working responsibly
Be a responsible business
Across our three strategic focus areas we have working responsibly embedded into everything we do. This inter-relationship is well articulated by our purpose: Driving Change Together. Responsibly.
01
Marketplace
02
Platform
03
Digital retailing
04
Working responsibly
Ensuring we make
a positive impact
Working responsibly is central to our purpose and strategy.
Our purpose is driven by our commitment to doing the
right thing, measuring and reporting transparently and
always acting with integrity.
The environment
Our Climate Transition Plan – a strategic roadmap to a sustainable future.
Developing a climate resilient strategy aligned to the UK’s ambitious environmental targets and which aims to minimise future risks, capture opportunities and protect our business from the impact of climate change.
Our people & communities
Being a responsible employer and maintaining a strong, purpose-led culture is key to our ongoing success.
Our values underpin everything we do, reflecting our culture and commitment to making a positive impact.
Our governance & compliance
Uphold the values of good corporate governance and risk management and consider the needs of all our stakeholders in our strategic decision-making.
Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations and behave ethically and with integrity at all times.
Maintain a trusted marketplace for our customers and consumers to find, buy and sell vehicles.
RELEVANT STRATEGIC PILLARS
RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS
– Customers
– Our people
– Consumers
RELEVANT STRATEGIC PILLARS
RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS
– Our people
– Community & environment
Making the
right decisions
By understanding our stakeholders' diverse needs, we factor into boardroom discussions the potential impact our decisions could have on them.
CONTEXT
The Company has invested in machine learning and AI technology for over 10 years. It is widely documented that AI can drive efficiencies, saving time and money for our customers. This inspired us to develop our first AI-powered ‘Co-Driver’ tools which streamline the advertising process while maintaining accuracy and relevance through the use of Auto Trader’s unrivalled dataset:
BOARD CONSIDERATIONS
As with any technology there are risks associated. The use of large language models (‘LLMs’) in real-time creates an additional requirement to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the output is credible and of value to our customers and consumers. As our use of AI evolves, it will create a new type of risk as AI tools have a ‘black box’ and we need to be able to explain how these tools work in the event of a challenge.
The Board acknowledged the risks of using an LLM but was confident that appropriate mitigations had been put in place, including extensive testing, quality controls and continual learning.
OUTCOME
Given the strength of Auto Trader’s data and technology the Board felt the benefits of the tools outweighed the risks involved. In the past year, we launched the three ‘Co-Driver’ products and made these available to all retailers. These products assist retailers with faster and more accurate advertising, and provide consumers with higher-quality, transparent information to assist them with their buying journey.
CONTEXT
Over the past 18 – 24 months, our Manchester head office has been nearing capacity, because of changes in ways of working and increased requirements for the available office space to meet our employees’ needs for both collaborative and focused work. The Board, along with the management team, recognise the importance of a suitable working environment where employees can be at their best and work effectively in a modern, purpose-built tech space.
BOARD CONSIDERATIONS
In making its decision about whether to proceed with the office relocation, the Board considered the effects on employees, along with the impact on the local community and environment.
Given the significant financial commitment associated with a head office move of over 1,000 employees, the Board devoted considerable time to thoroughly review the financial implications on the business alongside the potential for future growth.
The Board determined that the benefits of the relocation to a new building, including improved employee engagement, retention and attraction of top talent, a sustainable office building, and a tech-focused estate, justified the move and would strengthen our overall proposition in a competitive market.
OUTCOME
The Board agreed that Circle Square was by far the preferred new office space of all of the options considered; it believed we can build a new home in the best long-term interests of the business that will enable us to continue to attract and retain the very best tech talent for the coming decade.
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