11:03 am, April 9, 2026
Big Motoring World has announced some much needed good news after the used car supermarket posted record sales in the opening quarter of the year.
The used car supermarket group has found itself in the headlines of late, with two rounds of redundancies coinciding with the firm’s founder Peter Waddell suing current bosses for for unfair dismissal, harassment and disability discrimination.
A verdict in that claim is expected over the coming weeks but in the meantime, the firm has revealed an upturn in trading.
In a statement issued this morning (Apr 9), the firm says that it sold over 18,300 used vehicles across its 10 sites in the opening three months of 2026.
The result is up 25% on the previous year, and represents the group’s best ever Q1 by unit sales.
The business says it also set successive new single-month sales records in January, February and March – with two of its locations exceeding 1,000 sales in a single month for the very first time.
When it came to EV sales, electric transactions accounted for 26% of deals, with volumes rising by 79% compared to the same period last year.
Reacting to the sales figures, Laurence Vaughan, CEO, at Big Motoring World, said: ‘These outstanding results reflect the huge efforts made by people at all levels in our organisation to transform how we operate.
‘From increased efficiency in vehicle preparation to the delivery of an improved customer journey, every element of Big Motoring World is being enhanced to maximise output and results.
‘We are determined to carry this momentum through the rest of 2026 to benefit our customers and our growing nationwide team.
‘We are determined to become the best used car retailer in the UK by offering the best choice, best value and best quality in the sector.’
Bosses will be hoping the improved sales will help to improve the business’s fortunes, after it slumped to a pre-tax loss of a £10.7m in its most recent set of annual accounts.
Despite being ousted as CEO, Peter Waddell remains the firm’s majority shareholder.
When approached by Car Dealer for comment he said the numbers were below where he would expect and he repeated his calls for CEO Laurence Vaughan to resign.
He said: ‘We used to be selling 4,300 cars with just five sites. Since then the firm has bought five massive sites and by my maths should be at around 27,000 sales in the quarter.
‘It is all well and good saying they’re up on last year, but last year was diabolical.
‘I have made it very clear that I want Laurence Vaughan gone. That time has now come.’
