11:52 am, September 1, 2026
Three of the motor trade’s biggest hitters have signed up to partner with Car Dealer at the used car industry’s most prestigious awards.
CMe Automotive, Nichibo and Warranty First have all agreed to sponsor key categories in the Car Dealer Used Car Awards 2026, supported by Black Horse.
Digital marketing agency CMe will now sponsor the Social Media User award, while Japanese import specialist Nichibo will support the Outstanding Achievement award.
Elsewhere, Warranty First has agreed to sponsor the gongs for Specialist Used Car Dealership and Used Car Dealer Principal.
The latest deals mean that only three sponsorship slots remain available, ahead of the main event which takes place on November 30.
If you want to be part of the motor trade’s answer to the Oscars, our Diversity and Inclusion Award is still available to sponsor, as well as our gongs for Service and Repair Outlet of the Year gong and Manufacturer Used Car Scheme of the Year.
Speaking about what makes the Used Car Awards so special, Charisse Thomas, owner and CEO of CMe, said: ‘What sets these awards apart is how well they reflect the industry.
A 15-car independent faces very different challenges to a 200-car operation, and recognising dealers across different sizes gives everyone the opportunity to benchmark themselves against the very best in their space.’
Chay Anderson, European regional manager at Nichibo, added: ‘The Used Car Awards are a great fit for Nichibo because our whole business is built around supporting used car dealers.
‘The UK is a hugely important market for us, so it’s a great opportunity to support the industry and get Nichibo in front of more dealers.’
Meanwhile, Leo Nelson, chief marketing officer at Warranty First, said: ‘We are looking forward to spending time with dealers, celebrating the finalists and hearing more about the businesses and people behind their success.
‘Warranty First has been built around strong relationships with the motor trade so the event will be a valuable opportunity to catch up with existing partners, meet new people and build more knowledge around the priorities shaping the used vehicle market.’
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 – CMe Automotive
- 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 – Nichibo
- 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
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.