11:15 am, March 25, 2026
The digital landscape of the motor trade is undergoing a definitive shift. According to recent research from Close Brothers, 66% of UK motorists now incorporate AI into their car-buying journey, with 60% using it as a core part of their decision-making process.
From comparing specifications to benchmarking market prices, AI has become the consumer’s secret weapon. But while buyers use these tools to handle the ‘what’ and ‘how much’, a critical question remains for the trade: When a buyer asks an AI where they should buy, is your dealership even in the conversation?
New analysis from Spike Automotive has revealed a stark divide in the UK automotive landscape. The study analysed 5,000 queries across 10 popular car models, 10 major cities, and five key buying themes to see how Google’s Gemini AI responds. Across these queries, Gemini generated 18,746 individual dealer mentions, drawing on 1,214 unique online sources.
The findings were eye-opening: just six dealer groups – Arnold Clark, Evans Halshaw, Lookers, TrustFord, Vertu, and Motorpoint – command over 31% of all mentions. While these car retailers account for nearly 6,000 mentions, the remaining 1,694 dealerships share the rest, averaging fewer than eight mentions each.
‘Traditional Google search gives dealers a chance of a click in the top ten,’ says Duncan Colman, director of Spike Automotive. ‘But Gemini typically names only 3.75 dealers per response. It’s no longer about ranking in a list of ten blue links; it’s about how frequently you appear in the right hyper-personalised conversations.’
Where independents are winning
Despite the dominance of major groups in price-led queries, the report highlights a significant opening for independent dealers: Aftersales. This was the most diverse category in the study, with 614 unique dealers mentioned. Data revealed it is the only area where independent dealers are consistently beating the major groups in AI visibility.
‘In aftersales, there is a far smaller volume of grounding sources from major dealer domains,’ explains Colman. ‘A strategic marketing plan prioritising aftersales is a superb opportunity to increase brand frequency in a less competitive space.’
How to improve visibility in AI search
To remain relevant, dealerships must pivot their content strategies toward the sources AI actually trusts. While dealers must build a reputation strategy that lives beyond their own homepage. With Gemini drawing on reviews, forum posts and even social media content to assess credibility, smaller dealers with strong local reputations can break through.
It’s also important to consider the topics and queries you are targeting. While the ‘big six’ dominate price-related prompts, the ‘Trustworthy’ theme showed 722 unique dealers appearing – the highest of any category – meaning there are opportunities for independent and local dealerships to level the playing field.
Visibility is also dictated by the manufacturer’s digital ecosystem. Sites like volkswagen.co.uk or kia.com are primary trusted sources for Gemini. Dealers should audit all manufacturer-led content to ensure every location has accurate hours and stock feeds. Participating in manufacturer award schemes also pays dividends, as ‘Dealer of the Year’ badges frequently appear as key identifiers in AI responses.
Finally, dealerships should leverage aggregator tactics. In this study, Carwow and Autotrader showed immense influence as primary destinations for price-checking. However, success requires a shift in mindset. Dealers must stop thinking of AI search in a deterministic way – there is no fixed ‘number one’ spot.
Because every prompt is influenced by hyper-personalisation, dealers must focus on the building blocks of visibility across external sources rather than focusing solely on their own website.
For more information on the current car dealership landscape in Gemini, or how to grow your brand’s visibility in AI search, download the full report here.
