An update from our CEO

As 2025 draws to a close, rather than slowing down we’re accelerating towards some big milestones before the end of the year. We’ve recently announced our half-year results, which speak volumes. Even more buyers delivered to you, continued investment in innovation and good growth as a result.

This success is built on trust – the trust of millions of UK car buyers, and we will be bringing even more to your adverts than ever before, with our recently launched multi-million-pound marketing campaign.

And the trust you, our partners, place in us every day, for which I’d like to say thank you. That trust was on full display at our recent Autotrader Retailer Awards, where we celebrated the very best in automotive retailing – those who are setting new standards for the car buying experience. And that experience is exactly what I want to focus on today.

From insight to impact: the power of Buying Signals

This week we have announced the  launch of a powerful new connection we are creating for you with your customers, Buying Signals. Based on 450m weekly interactions on our platform, Buying Signals will transform the car buying experience, and drive real impact for your business.

Available with every deal delivered through Deal Builder, Buying Signals consists of two components:

• Buyer Intent – which reflects how ready a customer is to buy, based on their behaviour and interactions on Autotrader.

• Buyer Preferences – which reflects your customers’ interests and shows you what they’re looking for.

By understanding more about what each customer is interested in, how likely they are to convert and how best to approach the deal, this unique insight provides you with more confidence, control and opportunity to convert. With clearer signals about buyer intent, you can target the right customer at the right moment, offering a seamless journey and tailoring your response to  build trust and maximise conversion.  

All this made possible through Deal Builder

We’ve spent decades innovating and investing in our technology and data to provide you with unique insights into vehicles, many of which you use in your day-to-day decision-making. So why is now the right time to surface this transformational insight into buyers? This is made possible by the new Autotrader buying journey with Deal Builder at the centre.

Back in May we announced that after four years of evolving and enhancing Deal Builder, we’re making it available to everyone. Today, over 6,000 retailers are already unlocking the benefits – creating seamless, connected journeys between their digital and physical forecourt, and driving real results. We know that when a buyer starts creates a deal, they are more confident, more committed and ultimately more likely to buy. And high intent deals convert at twice the rate of traditional leads.

Deals will now become even more powerful, delivered to you with this actionable intelligence about the buyer.

Deal Builder isn’t just more functionality on your adverts. It is the Autotrader buying journey going forward. If you’re not yet live, your activation email is coming soon, and by early next year, every retailer will be part of this transformation.

This is the Autotrader of the future. It’s no longer a question of if, but how we make it work for you. And we’re committed to making sure it drives real results for your business.

We know this represents a big change and understand there are some misconceptions circulating, particularly around reservations. To be completely clear: We will not be charging retailers an additional % transaction fee for Deal Builder.

We recently hosted a webinar addressing your questions and concerns and clearing up some points about what this means for you. This is an important transition and we’re committed to making sure you have all the accurate information and support you need. I encourage you to watch the webinar on demand, or reach out to your account manager to discuss further.

In mid-November, if you’re already live on Deal Builder, Buying Signals will be made available on every deal, and you will start to benefit from a brand new product page, reimagined for results. This new product page does more than just showcase a car – it converts. Optimised for performance, designed to deliver even more high intent deals, and built to make your vehicles stand out, whilst keeping your brand front and centre. This is about giving your buyers confidence, and delivering  you results.

From leads to deals - the Autotrader advantage

This is about embracing a smarter, more connected way of meeting our customer needs, your needs. We’re moving beyond leads to deliver something far more powerful to you – deals. Interactions from increasingly committed buyers, which are rich in unique and actionable insights. A complete picture of the buyer, combined with all the tools you need to convert.

Autotrader has continuously evolved  since we launched in 1977 to keep up with the change in buyer behaviour and to always embrace the most important technology trends. It’s this commitment to evolving, alongside our unique data which puts us in a  position to lead this change. To continually learn, test and evolve to make the car buying and selling experience the best it can be, and to improve performance for you.

If you’re not already benefitting from Deal Builder, keep an eye out for your activation email over the coming weeks, or reach out to one of our 300-strong account team to find out how you can get access even earlier.