10:23 am, May 22, 2026
Voting is now well underway for the Car Dealer Used Car Awards 2026 and we can now confirm that things will be a little bit different this time around.
That is because we have decided that our RAC Customer Care Award will now be divided into five distinct sub-categories, to give you an even greater chance of glory.
For the first time, 2026 will see the prize broken down into Small, Medium, Large, Supermarket and Manufacturer gongs, in recognition of the stellar work done by all corners of the industry.
The change means that we will now be giving out more awards than ever before, so don’t miss your chance to put yourself forward!
Confirming the change, Car Dealer editor-in-chief, James Baggott, said: ‘We know just how much effort dealers and manufacturers put into delivering outstanding customer care, so we wanted to make sure more businesses had the chance to be recognised for their achievements.
‘By splitting the award into five distinct categories – Small, Medium, Large, Supermarket and Manufacturer – we believe the judging will be fairer, more competitive and a far better reflection of the diversity within the used car industry.
‘We’d encourage every dealer to put themselves forward and get involved!’
The Used Car Awards are the Oscars of the industry, and winning a gong is no easy task. But, as the old phrase goes, you can’t win the raffle without buying a ticket!
The glitzy event will once again be sponsored by headline partner Black Horse, as well as a host of other big names who are continuing to support the event.
The 2026 ceremony will also be returning to The Brewery in central London, hosted by Mr Wheeler Dealer himself, Mike Brewer, on November 30.
The black-tie event will also feature pre-dinner drinks and a post-awards fun casino, both sponsored by Cazoo. There will also be a special After Party, courtesy of RAC.
Here are the other key dates for your diary:
- Nominations close: Monday, September 28
- Nominations (long list) revealed: Monday, October 5
- Shortlist revealed: Monday, October 19
- Awards night: Monday, November 30
To be in with a chance of a trophy, our nominations form needs to be completed and the process couldn’t be any more straightforward!
All you need to do is select the category that you’d like to nominate yourself or someone else for on the form and supply the requested details.
From there, all entries will be judged by our Car Dealer experts, who will whittle them down to a nominations list.
The nominees will then be subjected to further judging before a final five go through to the big night, when the winners and highly commendeds will be announced.
The judging process includes our rigorous mystery shopping, which secretly checks how dealers handle inquiries – meaning that anyone hoping to make the shortlist will have to stay on the ball all the time.
A full list of the categories in which dealers can vote can be found below. For suppliers and companies wishing to sponsor categories there are still a handful of opportunities available – but don’t hang around. Contact us now to discuss.
- Dealers’ Dealer — Dealerkit
- Service & Repair Outlet — sponsorship available
- Used EV Dealer of the Year — Warranty Wise
- Social Media User — sponsorship available
- Use of Video — sponsorship available
- Used Car Website — Visitor Chat
- Used Car Online Sales Experience — Central Car Auctions
- Specialist Used Car Dealership — sponsorship available
- Used Car Sales Team — sponsorship available
- Used Car Dealer Principal — sponsorship available
- Future Star — Northridge Finance
- Used Car Customer Care and sub categories — RAC Dealer Network
- Used Car Supermarket — Cazoo
- Newcomer Dealership — Jigsaw Finance
- Used Commercial Vehicle Dealer — Close Brothers Motor Finance
- Days To Turn Award — Autotrader
- Diversity & Inclusion — sponsorship available
- Headline Sponsorship — Black Horse
- Used Car Dealership: Up To 50 Cars — Black Horse
- Used Car Dealership: 51–100 Cars — Black Horse
- Used Car Dealership: Over 100 Cars — Black Horse
- Used Car Dealership Group — Black Horse
- Outstanding Achievement — AA Cars
- Lifetime Achievement — Gardx
We’ll also be naming the best used cars in six categories – Small Car, Mid-Sized Car, Executive Car, Sports Car, SUV and AFV – plus the overall Used Car of the Year from those six.
Car Dealer wants everyone to enjoy themselves at the Used Car Awards and wishes to emphasise that all its events are inclusive. Any kind of offensive behaviour – verbal or physical – will not be tolerated. Those booking tickets assume full responsibility for the behaviour of their attendees.
