A number of factors look set to make used car stocking and funding a key area of focus in the year ahead. These include used car value realignment, an increased focus on costs/overheads, the...

The question of whether the used car market has finally returned to ‘normal’ – ie, to a time and state before the pandemic and other forces had a markedly negative impact on growth and...

The last five years of trading profitability have been some of the most dramatic in the history of the industry. Here is a run-down of the last five years’ EBITDA (which is earnings before...

The last 12 months have proven to be a somewhat unexpectedly difficult period for the UK automotive sector as the economy has struggled to perform as expected and the retail consumer faced significant...

Fears are growing among retailers for profitability through the first half of 2024 and beyond, with an increased number (34% versus 31% six months ago) anticipating that profit will be down. The...

Year-on-year analysis on our data shows some big swings in aftersales performance. Firstly, absorption is down to 42% in November 2023, a fall from 52% the year prior. This drop of 19.2% highlights...

The used car market toughened up markedly in October and November, with consumer demand declining. For once, the term ‘Christmas has come early’ was not a positive statement, with demand at many...

With the sale of new electric vehicles (EV) gaining momentum, more ex-fleet and end of contract units are filtering through to the used car market. Volumes remain small but are growing as buyers weigh...

Against a backdrop of low economic growth, high interest rates and high inflation, Graeme Chaplin, Bank of England agent for the West Midlands and Oxfordshire, believes there will be some growth in...

2024 is set to be another year of change as more people in the UK embrace electric cars. Nor is that trend centred only on new BEVs; used models have seen an increase in demand, and residual values...

As 2023 begins to draw to a close, the used car market finds itself in a complex and somewhat uncomfortable position. Despite the latest drop in the inflation rate, retail demand has dwindled in...

Used car departments pose the highest EBITDA risk this quarter. We’re not only seeing regular depreciation on cars, but also accelerated depreciation as used car valuations decline. The cost of...

Our main conversion KPIs remained constant in October with no major changes to the previous month. However, this consistency could be the building block to improved performance in 2024 as teams return...

With the sale of new electric vehicles (EV) gaining momentum, more ex-fleet and end of contract units are filtering through to the used car market. Volumes remain small but are growing as buyers weigh...

Year on year comparisons of absorption rates show a fall in September, down to 70% compared 83% in September 2022, continuing to highlight the overhead challenges retailers face. September has...

A high degree of personalisation is key to capturing the attention of used car buyers online, a retailer webinar reinforced. Customers are now really expecting greater relevance when it comes to the...

Uncertainty looms over automotive as a blend of factors continues to shape the future market landscape. Economic pressures mean many potential buyers are postponing purchasing decisions. The...

Data shared by Autotrader suggests that EV prices rose by 0.8% at the mid-point in September. It was the first monthly increase since August 2022. There was some other encouragement, too, with used EV...

Throughout the first nine months of 2023 the most noteworthy residual value (RV) trend has been the fall in battery electric vehicle (BEV) values. Driven by an increase in used supply, BEV values have...

With the 2022 reporting season now well underway, it’s apparent that only the most proactive profit- and efficiency-focused groups can match the 2021 results which had a built-in non-recurring stock...