9:47 am, August 10, 2026
Drive Green founder Richard Norris says winning the back-t0-back Used Car Awards has been ‘hugely beneficial’ to the business, as the he looks to complete a hat-trick in 2026.
Founded by Norris back in 2017, Drive Green scooped the EV Dealer of the Year gong in both 2024 and 2025 – two of the three years that the award has been dished out.
The 54-year-old says that the recognition has helped give customers greater confidence in the EV specialist, helping to build trust among customers who have never gone electric before.
The boss came to the motor trade late, having previously worked in the sustainable living and renewable energy sector, and he says the prestige that comes with winning a Used Car Award means even more to him than the company’s financial success.
He told Car Dealer: ‘I can honestly say that I value the awards over our financial success as to be recognised as the best at what you do is such a great feeling.
‘We can all work hard and have businesses that make money, but to be seen as the best at what you do is something special.
‘Being recognised as the best is hugely beneficial as it gives customers confidence in your business.
‘The first and possibly most important part of the sales process is gaining customer trust, as without it customers will not listen to your marketing messages or those of your sales staff.
‘Being awarded EV Dealer of the Year, especially multiple times, definitely gives customers confidence and trust in our business, which makes the job of selling so much easier.’
‘Hopefully we still continue to lead the way in the EV space’
After claiming victory two years in a row, Norris is in no mood to relinquish Drive Green’s crown in 2026.
The firm is planning to put itself forward at the Used Car Awards once more this year, and Norris says that all dealers should do the same.
‘We will definitely be putting ourselves in again,’ he explained. ‘Even though I know to win three years in a row is a challenge, hopefully we still continue to lead the way in the EV space.
‘Car Dealer magazine is so widely recognised as an authoritative voice in the automotive space, so its awards carry that same weight.
‘To win is to know you have been recognised by one of the most influential and important organisations in the industry.
‘I would encourage every good business to enter as well. If you have a good business and you are able to convey what makes your business great and stand out from your competition, you should definitely enter.
‘To win an award here is priceless in terms of how good it will make you and your team feel, as well as being incredibly beneficial to your business from a PR and marketing and sales point of view.’
Nominations open
With voting now underway, 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 — Warrantywise
- Social Media User – Sponsorship available
- Use of Video — Carwow
- Used Car Website — Visitor Chat
- Used Car Online Sales Experience — Central Car Auctions
- Specialist Used Car Dealership — Warranty First
- Used Car Sales Team — Diamondbrite
- Used Car Dealer Principal — Warranty First
- Future Star — Northridge Finance
- Used Car Customer Care (and sub-categories) — RAC Dealer Network
- Used Car Supermarket — Cazoo
- Newcomer Dealership — Jigsaw Finance (T2T)
- Used Commercial Vehicle Dealer — Close Brothers Motor Finance
- Days To Turn Award — Autotrader
- Diversity and 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 – Sponsorship available
- Lifetime Achievement — GardX
We’ll also be naming the best used cars in six categories, plus the overall Used Car of the Year from those six, along with Manufacturer Used Car Scheme:
- Small Car – Autoglym
- Mid-Sized Car – Autoglym
- Executive Car – Autoglym
- SUV – Autoglym
- AFV (Alternatively Fuelled Vehicle) – Autoglym
- Manufacturer Used Car Scheme of the Year – Sponsorship available
The prizes will be dished out in a glitzy ceremony at The Brewery, London on November 30.