Who we are
We’ve evolved from an entrepreneurial print media business into one of the UK's leading digital businesses
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.
We acquired AutoConvert, a finance, insurance and compliance software platform with integrated customer relationship management solutions.
We launched Market Insight, a powerful tool to help retailers identify and adapt to market trends as they happen.
We acquired KeeResources, a trusted provider of software, data and digital solutions to the automotive industry.
We launched two new products to retailers: Text Chat and Vehicle Check. These products benefit both consumers and retails, helping build trust between the two.
We launched our brand new car proposition, to make us as synonymous with new cars as we are with used.
We created a joint venture with Cox Automotive, Dealer Auction, to provide an innovative digital marketplace for wholesale vehicles.
i-Control became Retail Accelerator, our most powerful tool yet, which helps retailers manage their forecourts using unrivalled data and insight.
We extended our finance solution to allow consumers to search for their next car based on their ideal monthly budget, reflecting the changing way that consumers are buying cars.
In April 2017 we welcomed Motor Trade Delivery Ltd into the Auto Trader team, helping to grow our trade-to-trade proposition.
We launched Price Indicator labels on our adverts to help consumers see whether a car is priced competitively.
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.
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 has grown in scale and influence and now offers data, insights and market commentary from Auto Trader and our industry peers.
On 24th March, Auto Trader listed on the London Stock Exchange.
We launched our free valuation tool, giving consumers the most accurate view in the market of the price of their car.
We created new working areas by moving staff to state-of-the-art offices in central Manchester and King’s Cross, London.
What started as a regional magazine had become one of the UK’s most recognisable automotive brands. Happy birthday!
In June 2013, the final print edition of Auto Trader rolled off the presses. The time was right to become a 100% digital business.
We enjoyed enormous brand awareness but our logo was ageing by the day. We created a modern logo that’s still recognisably Auto Trader.
We began disposing of the parts of our business that addressed non-UK markets. This was completed in 2013, giving our team renewed focus.
Customer reviews were introduced to Auto Trader, allowing owners to start telling others what they really think of their cars.
Having proven the value of our iPhone app, we developed dedicated apps for the popular iPad and Android platforms.
We launched our website for new cars, giving visitors an easy way to compare and find a brand new car.
Now there’s an app for that: 300,000 people downloaded our iPhone app in the first 30 days after it was launched.
Our Dealer Websites platform launched, making it easy for dealers to create professional websites.
With smart phones becoming widely used, we launched a dedicated mobile website to help people search on smaller screens.
We added co.uk to our logo, acknowledging that people preferred to search for cars online rather than in a magazine.
Our digital revenue matched our print revenue for the first time. It was clear where the future lay, and we accelerated our digital transition strategy.
As Facebook and Twitter use exploded, we joined these social networks and started posting to them. Can we get a retweet?
We put enormous effort into creating our new website, which allowed us to show the exact number of vehicles available for every selection.
In 2000, the two separate parts of Auto Trader merged into a single company, called Trader Media Group.
A small team created the first Auto Trader website — two years before even Google was conceived.
Well, sort of. We became the first UK publisher to switch to automatic layout software to produce our magazines.
By 1995, Auto Trader titles covered the whole of the UK. The magazine also became available in Ireland for the first time.
We became Auto Trader in 1988, after a short spell as Auto Mart & Trader. At this point we had a number of regional magazines, which were all renamed.
Guardian Media Group (GMG) joined Auto Trader, as it had been considering launching a similar venture in the north of England.
The history of Auto Trader starts back in 1977 when entrepreneur John Madejski launched a small regional classified advertising magazine called Thames Valley Trader. He brought the idea to the UK after a visit to the US.
Auto Trader Group plc
Registered in England (Company number: 09439967)
Auto Trader Limited
Registered in England and Wales (Company number: 03909628)
Registered address:
1 Tony Wilson Place