Dealers could be making profit on part-exchange cars, rather than trading them out at a loss, according to Autotrade-Mail.

Managing director Marcus Kelland believes dealers who are still ringing local traders to get them to underwrite an undesired trade-in are doing their business a disservice.

In the six years since founding Autotrade-Mail to enable dealers to quickly trade or search for trade-ins, he has signed up 2,700 dealers, 60% franchised. Of these, 563 joined this year. Kelland’s target is 1,000.

“It’s faster, more efficient and it’s turning it into a profit centre,” says Kelland. Subscribers input the classes and marques of car they require and receive emails when suitable vehicles are placed on the trade-only website. He adds: “You can get the right car to the right people within the right time.”