The Awards
This year features our most comprehensive lineup yet, with 28 awards across cars, vans, and bikes. Most winners are determined by the UK’s largest independent mystery shopping programme and the analysis of millions of real-world data points, meaning these trophies are earned through hard work and proven results.
Tell Us Your Story
While our data-led awards recognise your daily performance, we have five specialised categories open for self-nomination. This is your opportunity to show our independent judging panel how your team is evolving and why your business stands out from the crowd.
This year's data driven categories:
Retailer of the Year Award
This is the big one. It’s our most prestigious trophy, designed to recognise the absolute best in the business. We’re awarding the top performers across Car, Van, and Bike retailers, alongside our dedicated New Car Retailer of the Year. To keep the playing field fair, these are split by business size, so you’re measured against your true peers.
Customer Choice Award
Reviews are what build a dealership's reputation. This award doesn't just look at who has the highest rating, it rewards the businesses that actually engage with their customers and take pride in their feedback. It’s about being the retailer that buyers know they can trust.
Customer Experience Award
You can't fake this one. Based on the UK’s largest mystery shopping programme, we start with 1,000 of Autotrader’s top-performing retailers and whittle them down through three rigorous phases. Only the retailers who deliver a seamless, top-tier experience from start to finish will make it to the stage in Manchester.
This year's self-nomination categories:
Each year an independent panel of experts judge the submissions to our self-nomination awards, with last year seeing ~300 of you submitting an entry to our awards.
Previous year’s judges included experts from John Lewis, MoneySuperMarket, LinkedIn, and The Carbon Literacy Trust.
You can submit an entry for as many categories you feel eligible for. Entries open on 18th May and close on 10th July.
The Game Changer Award
This award celebrates effective ideas that delivered results. It's for businesses that have made a game-changing impact through bold thinking and the smart use of technology, especially where tools like AI have solved real challenges.
The Impact Award
This award recognises retailers creating meaningful change, for the environment, their community or the people around them.
The People First Award
Great businesses are built by great people but this award goes beyond the basics. It recognises retailers taking a fresh, innovative or ground-breaking approach to how they support, engage and empower their teams.
The Momentum Award
This award celebrates businesses that are moving forward fast. A retailer that has fundamentally shifted gears. It’s about business as a whole moving from point A to point B. It’s for those rethinking how they operate, evolving their business model, or taking a new approach to drive results.
The Woman of the Year Award
This award celebrates an exceptional woman who is making a difference, whether she's leading a team, improving performance, shaping culture or driving change.
We’re looking for someone who stands out not just for what she does, but how she does it.