7:25 am, July 13, 2026
Arnold Clark saw annual revenues accelerate past £5.56bn last year, latest accounts show.
Higher employment costs and inflationary pressures saw profits slip backwards, though, down to £112.5m in 2025.
The UK’s largest independent dealer group notched up revenue of £5.56bn, up 7.9% from £5.15bn in 2024, thanks in part to strong new car sales, in particular from new Chinese brands.
While profit before tax slipped 6.6% to £113m from £121m achieved the year before, gross profit increased by 4%.
Despite the fall in profits, the group significantly strengthened its balance sheet, with net funds available rising 25.3% to £450m and shareholders’ funds increasing to £1.633bn.
New car sales jumped 11.2% to 71,388 units, while used car sales fell 2.0% to 187,920 units – but Arnold Clark said it had maintained margins by increasing average selling prices and focusing on retailing higher-quality stock.
The dealer group put much of its new car sales success down to the expansion of its franchises.
During 2025 it rolled out five new EV-focused brands across 10 dealerships, having announced the franchises the previous year. It also increased the number of multi-brand sites by 18% to accommodate the new arrivals.
Among the latest carmakers to join the firm were Chery, Corvette, Geely, Leapmotor and Maserati, adding to Arnold Clark’s portfolio of 35 manufacturer brands.
The company also acquired five additional dealership investment properties, as it looks to increase its retail footprint.
Arnold Clark has a wide and diversified business that incorporates 140 service centres, 16 accident repair centres, 38 vehicle rental sites and 59 EV charging locations.
It also runs Central Car Auctions, which has five centres.
Arnold Clark has also topped the Car Dealer Top 100 list of most profitable car dealerships since the list was introduced in 2020 and its largest shareholder, Lady Philomena Clark, still chairs the board.
Presenting his first annual results since taking the helm of Arnold Clark, chief executive Russell Borrie said that despite the fall in pre-tax profit, the company’s performance was ‘resilient… in a challenging market’.
He said: ‘The new car market has benefited from the introduction of new Chinese brands, with their affordable new cars, and the response of the traditional manufacturers who provided additional support to customers, either through subsidised customer finance or registration bonuses.’
He added that the group’s decision to invest in the new brands had already paid dividends.
‘The introduction of the five new EV focused manufacturer brands that was announced last year to 10 of our locations helped increase our new car sales by 11%.
‘Whilst embedding these new brands, we took the opportunity to relocate several brands to ensure they were situated in the most appropriate location or showroom and expanded the number of multi-brand locations by 18%.’
Arnold Clark’s remarketing arm, Central Car Auctions, held 601 auctions during the year, a 27% increase on 2024, with vehicles sold rising 20% to 64,675. Revenues soared by 44%.
The business also holds £152m of investment property, up from £131m in 2024.
