Carwow expands digital car sales with Auto Express, echoing Auto Trader strategy

Carwow has made a significant move to enhance the used car buying experience, echoing Auto Trader’s strategy of expanding digital services.

Carwow is linking its ‘Sell My Car’ service with Auto Express, the consumer motoring media brand with 45 million annual unique users, which is one of the operations Carwow acquired earlier this year in its takeover of publishing firm Autovia.

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This move follows in the footsteps of Auto Trader's efforts to integrate digital tools and broaden access to quality used car stock.

Carwow is now enabling all cars listed by private sellers on Auto Express to be funneled directly into Carwow's daily online auctions to provide dealers with an increased volume of used cars which they can attemp to buy in to stock.

Carwow’s approach mirrors Auto Trader’s recently announced focus on digital transformation and customer convenience, offering a more efficient way for dealers to source inventory.

Starting in October, What Car?’s current ‘New Car Deals’ configurator will be replaced by Auto Trader's new car display and search function, allowing users to access the 20,000 in-stock new cars advertised daily on Auto Trader platform where they can complete their purchase.

Sally Foote, chief commercial officer of Sell My Car at Carwow Group, said: “We are now listing 20,000 vehicles in our auctions each month and are extremely excited to launch our popular ‘Sell My Car’ service to Auto Express customers. This will give our dealer partners access to even more fresh stock in our daily auctions, which we know is hugely important to keep forecourts full.”

Auto Express, which became part of The Carwow Group earlier in 2024 alongside Evo, Driving Electric and Carbuyer, is also undergoing a comprehensive rebrand to attract a larger and more diverse audience.

Paul Barker, editor of Auto Express, added: “It's great news for Auto Express and our army of readers across online and print that they can now use their favourite title to sell their car.

“Our readers value the honest and independent content that Auto Express provides, so being able to link them with Carwow's trusted network of dealers, who are keen to buy high-quality used cars, promises to be a win-win.”

Since its auction platform's launch in 2021, Carwow has channelled more than 160,000 used cars to dealer forecourts. The addition of listings from Auto Express is expected to significantly accelerate this growth.

Foote added: “The integration with Auto Express will help accelerate our rapid growth plans and add even more value for our dealer partners.”