Auto Trader Group plc reported profit & sales growth in its latest six-month reporting period.
The Manchester-headquartered online vehicle marketplace saw overall group operating profit top £200 million for the six months ended 30th September 2025, an increase of 6%, with revenue growing 5% to £317.7m.
Losses halved in its Autorama division to £1.4m. Revenue for the leading platform – which operates the Vanarama brand – climbed 13% to £21.4m.
Co-Driver, a generative AI product which helps retailers create vehicle listings in less time, was launched on Autotrader during the period.
“We see a rich future pipeline of AI opportunities to drive improved performance, efficiency and time saving for our customers,” the firm stated. “These opportunities build on our advertising, data and digital retailing products.
“Autotrader is a trusted brand, offering a comprehensive car buying experience and proprietary real-time vehicle level data. Most buyers continue to come directly to Autotrader, but for the 18% that find us through organic search we believe AI tools will become an alternative interface and we will increase our visibility across these platforms.”
The firm said it continues to see strong levels of demand for used cars, with a record number of cross-platform visits. The new car market grew 3% over the six-month period.
It returned £162.2m to shareholders through £100.2m of share buybacks and dividends of £62m, while over 75% of all minutes spent on automotive marketplaces were spent on Autotrader – the same as last year.
“In 2025, we continued our decade-long journey of creating AI-powered products that improve the buying and selling experience on Autotrader and help drive improved performance, efficiency and time-saving for our customers,” said CEO Nathan Coe.
“This year, over 10,000 of our customers have used our Co-Driver product to deliver over 1m improved vehicle adverts, enhancing the buying journey.
“By combining this technology with our proprietary data, alongside scaling our Deal Builder product, we’re improving car buying and selling across the UK.
“As a result of this strategic progress, we remain confident in the outlook, supported by our strong market position, customer value, and unique data and technology.”
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