Carwow, the UK independent online car buying website, is continuing its expansion into Europe by launching into France next month.

The business said it has helped to sell more than £2 billion worth of cars since launching in the UK in 2013. It launched in Germany in 2016 and it has plans to expand into Spain too.

The rapid growth into new overseas territories has been made possible by a £30m injection of funding in July last year.

The funding was led by Vitruvian Partners, the Private Equity firm behind companies like Just-Eat, Skyscanner and Trustpilot.

This was sought principally to target international expansion following growth in the UK and Germany.

Operations in France will be led by Thibault Penicaut, via the French Carwow site.

Carwow’s UK operation recently moved to a new London headquarters at Victoria, where its 140 staff are based.

James Hind, Carwow founder and chief executive, said: “The demand for the Carwow offering is growing all the time as both buyers and dealers encounter the same fundamental challenges in Europe and further afield.

“It feels like a sensible and natural progression for us to extend our proposition to other markets.”