AM Awards logo 2025The 2025 AM Awards are now open for entries from car and van dealerships, dealer groups, manufacturers' national sales companies, and automotive retail suppliers.

Entering Automotive Management’s AM Awards is a strategic opportunity for UK car dealerships to gain recognition, enhance brand credibility, and engage with industry leaders.

Winning or even being shortlisted in categories like Dealership of the Year, Community Hero or Online Consumer Experience offers dealerships a unique promotional boost, helping them stand out in a competitive market.

Past winners report that the award showcases their commitment to excellence in customer service, digital innovation, and team achievements, drawing both customers and skilled employees who are motivated to work for recognized leaders in the automotive field.

The AM Awards Dinner, on May 1, 2025 in London, also opens valuable networking channels, providing dealerships with access to other high-performing industry players, from suppliers to OEMs, and enhancing professional visibility.

Participating in the AM Awards supports continuous improvement, as preparing entries encourages dealerships to evaluate their practices and refine strategies, particularly in emerging areas like electric vehicle sales and sustainability initiatives. For dealerships aiming to position themselves as market leaders, entering the AM Awards is more than a celebration; it’s a mark of trust that can attract customers, retain talent, and build long-term industry relationships

In addition to boosting recognition and credibility, entering the AM Awards enables dealerships to benchmark their performance against some of the best in the industry. The companies that make it through the judging to the shortlist of finalists showcase their dedication to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction, which appeals to a consumer base that values trusted, reputable service providers in the automotive space​.

A critical advantage of the AM Awards lies in its role in talent attraction and retention. Dealerships that achieve an award or shortlist status are more appealing to potential employees, as the recognition serves as a testament to the organization’s commitment to excellence and professional growth. Dealer groups like Marshall, TrustFord and Waylands have leveraged their past AM Award wins to attract top-tier talent, boosting team morale and ensuring motivated staff serve their customers to their best abilities.

AM Awards categories available to enter:

The Community Hero Award 

We want to recognise dealerships that are deeply rooted in their communities, support local causes and organisations, and have a culture of giving something back. Open to car and LCV dealers, including franchised and independent.

Marketing Strategy of the Year

Marketing should help you to build your brand as well as to find new customers and help you to grow sales in the short term. Open to dealers of cars or LCVs, whether independent or franchised, and vehicle manufacturers.

Online Consumer Experience of the Year - Franchised Dealer

Dealers entering this award category should provide an excellent, comprehensive, customer-focused digital experience for consumers who are searching online for their next car, whether new or used.

Online Consumer Experience of the Year - Independent Dealer 

Dealers who enter this award category should provide an excellent, comprehensive, customer-focused digital experience for consumers who are searching online for their next car, whether new or used.

Leader in Diversity and Inclusion 

Bringing diversity and inclusion together provides a holistic opportunity to recognise and honour the companies that are looking after their staff in the best possible way by being an inclusive employer that priorities the mental health and wellbeing of their staff.  Open to franchised and independent car and van retailers

Workshop of the Year - Independent & Franchised

The workshop is a critical source of profitability and customer contact. This award seeks to recognise a superb, outstanding service site. Open to both independent and franchised workshops. 

Best in Customer Service

Entrants should have a customer-centric culture and take pride in strong satisfaction scores, but never allow complacency and react robustly to fix the situation whenever things go wrong. Entries accepted from franchised and independent car and LCV dealers.

Customer Service Champion

This award is for an individual who works within a franchised or independent car or LCV retailer, in any customer-facing role or department. Entrants may self-nominate or may be put forward by colleagues or managers. The judges expect to see individuals who clearly and consistently demonstrate they go the extra mile to deliver the highest level of customer service and who stand out for their ability to listen, empathise and adapt.

EV Advocate of the Year

Open to both dealers and OEMs, this award requires that you demonstrate how you have gone the extra mile to support the use of electric vehicles. Entrants will have a passionate and knowledgeable workforce that advocates for EVs. 

EV Performance of the Year

Outlets that are high performing in electric vehicle sales should enter this category, demonstrating their ability to develop a strong local market. Open to franchised and independent car or LCV dealers.

The Sustainability Award

This category is looking for the best motor retailers and carmakers which can demonstrate strategic planning and robust steps being taken to help build a more sustainable and better future.

Franchised Dealership of the Year

This category is open to single-site owner operators and to best performing dealerships within a larger group network – both single franchised and multi-franchised showrooms.

Independent Dealer of the Year

This award is open to any independent (non-franchised) dealer that sells used cars and is intended to recognise the broad success across the group from its focus on used cars.

Used Car Performance of the Year

This award is open to any company or group that sells used cars and is intended to recognise those who have turned the practice into an art form – not to say a hugely successful and profitable business.

Dealer Principal/General Manager of the Year 

The winner will be a dealer principal or general manager who has done incredible things with difficult brands or marketplaces by demonstrating excellent leadership skills, drive and innovative thinking that has helped the dealership achieve business objectives. 

Dealer Group of the Year (up to 10 sites)*

The motor retail industry is made up primarily of smaller, regional groups.  This award category is designed to recognise and honour those companies. Entrants will be able to show how they meet the AM Awards’ original criteria of quality, innovation and service and how they have tracked their performance improvement over the past five years. 

Dealer Group of the Year (more than 10 sites)*

This award recognises the unique complications and complexities that come from co-ordinating a large retail group, one with more than 10 dealerships. Entrants will be able to show how they meet the AM Awards’ original criteria of quality, innovation and service, and how they have tracked their performance improvement over the past five years. 

Best New Product or Service (supplier category)

Open to industry suppliers that are helping to change dealers’ fortunes. We expect to see innovation and measurable results, including examples of beneficial use by your customers. Products or services must have been launched since January 2024. 

Supplier of the Year (supplier category)

Open to submissions from industry suppliers making a significant difference to dealers’ fortunes. Entries will be reviewed and voted upon by dealer readers and the judging panel.

 

AM Awards Auditors: Cooper Parry

Continuing in their role as AM Awards auditors will be the specialist automotive team at Cooper Parry (formerly UHY Hacker Young Manchester) led by David Kendrick, Ian McMahon and Paul Daly. Automotive Management is delighted to engage such expertise, which is vital in verifying entries and helping the judging panel to decide the strongest contenders in our headline dealer group categories.