11:45 am, February 20, 2026
Autotrader has added new AI-driven ‘I’m looking for’ categories to its platform to help ‘car buyers navigate an increasingly complex automotive market’
The company says the new feature has been launched to tackle the growing trend of car buyers beginning their next car search without a specific make or model in mind, due to the recent influx of new car brands to the market.
Research carried out by Autotrader in April 2025 of 2,000 people found that 43% don’t know the exact make and model of the car they want at the start of their car buying journey.
The launch of the 13 new categories has also been driven by Autotrader recognising that buyers are using more familiar language when searching for a car, rather than traditional ‘industry-defined terminology’. Searching for a car with a 0-60mph acceleration time of under six seconds will throw up ‘everything from a Vauxhall Astra to a Rolls-Royce Phantom’, said the firm.
Instead of relying on rigid keyword mapping, the platform uses Machine Learning Models to accurately categorise vehicles in ways that naturally meet buyer expectations.
There are also enthusiast focused categories like ‘OMG’, which has ‘sparked massive engagement across automotive communities, with users on motoring forums citing it as an “excellent filter” and that they “love the OMG option”‘, said Autotrader.
Commenting, Autotrader’s chief product officer, Karolina Edwards-Smajda, said: ‘With huge increase in choice entering the market, in terms of make, model, and fuel-type, the early stages of car buying can be overwhelming.
‘We aren’t just giving consumers new buttons to click; we’re leveraging our deep data infrastructure and AI capabilities to fundamentally change how vehicles are discovered.
‘By intelligently matching stock to the natural language buyers actually use, we are delivering a significantly smarter, more enjoyable search experience that connects our retailer partners’ stock with more informed and high-intent buyers.’
