Autotrader ramps up marketing investment to drive more confident buyers to retailer stock
Autotrader has unveiled the next phase of its multi-channel ‘It’s time for Autotrader’ brand campaign, as part of its continued investment in driving more engaged car buyers to retailer stock. Designed to reinforce Autotrader’s position as the UK’s biggest and most trusted automotive marketplace, the nationwide campaign is expected to reach 70% of all UK adults, while placing particular focus on consumers aged 25-44 at the moments they are most likely to start thinking about their next car.
This is the second campaign under Autotrader’s successful brand platform, ‘It’s time for Autotrader’, which launched in October 2025. The platform aims to cement Autotrader as the first place consumers think of when they realise it may be time for their next car, helping turn early consideration into active car searching.
Launching on the 27th September, the new creative will run across a broad mix of high-reach channels, putting Autotrader at the heart of memorable, recognisably British moments that spark the thought ‘maybe it’s time for Autotrader’. Rather than focusing solely on the person who needs a new car, the stories are told through the eyes and passing comments of the people around them.
Recent research from Autotrader[1] revealed that only 57% of people said they knew the exact make and model of the car they wanted to buy. By tapping into relatable, everyday moments that prompt people to think about their next car, the campaign is designed to encourage undecided consumers to move from passive consideration into active searching on Autotrader – creating more opportunities for retailer stock to be discovered.
This second phase will run until the 8th November across TV, Broadcaster Video on Demand (BVOD), Connected TV and out of home’ (OOH), with the campaign continuing across digital and broadcast radio until mid-November. It will also be amplified through podcasts, content creators, YouTube and social media, creating a broad, multi-channel presence designed to reach consumers repeatedly across the places they watch, listen, scroll, commute and search. The activity is set to generate over 432.6 million impressions and reach around 70% of all UK adults, including around 80% of 25-44-year-olds, before returning for a further burst in early 2027.
The outdoor media element will reinforce Autotrader’s presence across major UK cities, leveraging premium static, motion and programmatic OOH panels across roadside, rail and underground environments. This nationwide footprint ensures the campaign shows up repeatedly in high-footfall locations where consumers are travelling, commuting and making everyday purchase decisions.
Beyond paid media, Autotrader continues to engage consumers long before they actively visit the platform, including nearly 3 million followers across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. With organic YouTube views up nearly 20% year-on-year, and social media followers increasing by 30,000, Autotrader is building an always-on audience that helps keep the platform – and retailers’ stock – front of mind between major campaigns.
The strength of Autotrader’s owned channels is reflected in its app achieving its highest month on record for engagement earlier this year, with 3.7 million active users across its mobile apps in May 2026. For retailers, this means stock advertised on Autotrader is consistently visible to the UK’s largest active audience of car buyers, including the growing proportion of consumers using mobile apps as their main route into the marketplace – currently accounting for around half of all traffic to Autotrader.
At the heart of our new campaign is a simple goal: bringing more confident buyers into market on Autotrader and helping them find our retailer partners’ stock. We know that many consumers delay starting their journey because they are unsure what to buy or where to begin, and this new creative is designed to give them the confidence and prompt they need to start searching earlier.
“By continuing to invest in marketing campaigns like this across a diverse mix of high-reaching media channels, we’re keeping Autotrader front of mind at the moments that matter. That means more buyers coming to the platform with confidence, and more opportunities for our retailer partners’ vehicles to be discovered.”
[1] Autotrader Car Buyers Report Nov 2025
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