12:43 pm, July 14, 2026
In today’s market, knowing exactly what a car is worth can make all the difference between a profitable deal and a costly mistake.
Dealers told us they value accurate data, real-time market insight and tools they can trust.
This year’s highly commended firms are Cap HPI and Cazana.
But taking the top spot is a company whose valuation tools have become an essential part of many dealers’ daily operations – Autotrader.
This is the fifth time in a row that dealers have given Autotrader the thumbs up, something that is not lost on the firm’s director of customer and data, Rebecca Clark.
‘To win it again this year, I think this year more than ever, the words I would say are humbled and proud,’ she told Car Dealer.
‘As always, to be voted for this award by so many retailers, who obviously are our customers, it really just makes everything that we do worthwhile.
‘It’s a huge pat on the back for everybody back at Autotrader, whichever team they’re in, that all contribute towards being, in this case, Online Advertiser for Used Cars for 2026.
‘It means an awful lot. We take everything that we do seriously and to be recognised for it really is the icing on the cake.’
She added: ‘It’s an accolade to win it once, but to continue repeatedly winning this award in particular is just huge.
‘We’re always obsessing about our customers’ performance and how their businesses are performing.
‘We put a lot into the partnerships that we’ve got with customers. We acknowledge we don’t always get everything right, but absolutely we’re there to listen and keep investing in everything that we do to help keep our customers profitable.’
Clark said Auto Trader continues to combine its vast data resources with dealer feedback to develop products that make a real difference to its customers.
‘When we think about the tech and data that we have at our disposal, we’re combining that with customer feedback and really making sure that what we continue to build helps customers with the real-world, day-to-day running of their business and their operations,’ she said.
‘We just keep placing the emphasis on delivering for our customers and always trying to do the right thing.’
The past 12 months have seen Autotrader launch several new products, including Buying Signals, which gives dealers greater insight into customer behaviour before they make contact.
‘For the first time ever, we’re looking at all that audience data – the millions and billions of pieces of data that we have through our platform – and we’ve found ways to share that back with our customers,’ she said.
‘That helps retailers, when a consumer is coming to them, really have visibility of what that consumer has been doing on our marketplace before they reach the retailer, so the retailer can offer an even better tailored experience.’
Alongside new products, Autotrader has continued to invest in improving its dealer tools.
‘Many of our independent customers and some smaller franchise customers use our dealer portal, so it’s about how we continue to evolve that, make it better and make it more intuitive.
‘As always, there’s lots going on in used cars and equally everything we’re doing in new cars as well. Never a dull moment for sure. It’s what makes automotive the industry that it is that we all love.’
Thanking dealers for their continued support, Clark added: ‘I feel really proud to accept this award on behalf of so many people at Autotrader.
‘I’ll take great pleasure in sharing it back with everybody in the business.’
- W: autotrader.co.uk
- T: 0345 111 0003
