UK Automotive Online Car Retailers - PPC Market Share Analysis May 2026

Leveraging Adthena’s Whole Market View, this analysis explores recent trends in Google Ads for the UK Online Car Retailers category from the last month. Our Data Analyst, Ask Arlo provides commentary on key findings.

Online Car Retailers – UK

Google AI Overview visibility for Automotive Online Car Retailers UK

See how often AIOs appear and how search intent is distributed across buying signals.

AIO Frequency

How often a Google AI overview appears on search terms relevant to this category.

Frequency Percentage
Frequency 19.7813279128
80.2186720872
19%

Complex Query Frequency

A complex query is a longer, more detailed search that often contains multiple keywords, specific conditions, or multi-part questions.

Frequency Percentage
Frequency 64
36
64%

Search Intent Distribution

Breakdown of search queries by their underlying goal.

Intent Distribution
Investigational 32%
Transactional 44%
Navigational 3%
Seasonal 0%
Local 2%
Problem Solving 4%

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Market Exposure

Share of Clicks for top 10 UK Automotive Online Car Retailers brands

Here are the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Clicks for the last month.

Share of Clicks - Last month
Share of Clicks - Last month
Domain Share of clicks
carwow.co.uk 24.31
webuyanycar.com 22.89
motorway.co.uk 8.47
pistonheads.com 7.21
cargurus.co.uk 6.95
autotrader.co.uk 5.52
arnoldclark.com 1.9
cinch.co.uk 1.46
carsupermarket.com 1.33
motorpoint.co.uk 1.28
others 18.68
  • carwow.co.uk - 24.31%
  • webuyanycar.com - 22.89%
  • motorway.co.uk - 8.47%
  • pistonheads.com - 7.21%
  • cargurus.co.uk - 6.95%
  • autotrader.co.uk - 5.52%
  • arnoldclark.com - 1.9%
  • cinch.co.uk - 1.46%
  • carsupermarket.com - 1.33%
  • motorpoint.co.uk - 1.28%
  • others - 18.68%

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In the competitive landscape of Google PPC, carwow.co.uk leads with 24.31% click share, closely followed by webuyanycar.com at 22.89%. Meanwhile, ‘others’ collectively hold 18.68%.

Market Exposure

Share of Spend for the top 10 UK Automotive Online Car Retailers brands

Curious about your market position? Here you can see the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Spend for the last month. 

Share of Spend - Last Month
Share of Spend - Last Month
Date carwow.co.uk webuyanycar.com motorway.co.uk cargurus.co.uk arnoldclark.com autotrader.co.uk motorpoint.co.uk motormoolah.com bestcarbuyer.co.uk cinch.co.uk
2026/05/01 26.18% 19.69% 18.93% 4.24% 2.37% 0.41% 5.29% 1.33% 2.67% 0.97%
2026/05/02 24.95% 26.2% 15.97% 6.04% 0.54% 0.94% 5.64% 1.68% 0% 0.75%
2026/05/03 26.34% 27.74% 16.54% 3.12% 0.95% 0.5% 5.09% 2.61% 0% 0.89%
2026/05/04 22.34% 28.19% 18.3% 3.84% 1.64% 0.39% 4.08% 1.54% 1.8% 0.87%
2026/05/05 23.03% 27.82% 16.73% 4.3% 0.73% 0.48% 2.69% 1.15% 2.15% 1.4%
2026/05/06 25.81% 21.77% 17.98% 3.86% 1.79% 0.49% 4.16% 2.76% 2.33% 1.27%
2026/05/07 22.21% 29.5% 19.27% 3.04% 0.73% 0.49% 3.51% 0.28% 2.88% 1.3%
2026/05/08 26.66% 22.95% 15.82% 3.41% 1.68% 0.4% 5.05% 1% 3.61% 1.36%
2026/05/09 26.38% 27.85% 17.31% 2.92% 0.85% 0.43% 5.14% 1.62% 0% 0.95%
2026/05/10 30.65% 20.91% 15.17% 2.98% 1.09% 0.99% 5.39% 1.81% 1.1% 1.32%
2026/05/11 24.9% 11.46% 12.42% 13.88% 1.72% 1.62% 3.68% 2.39% 1.73% 2.69%
2026/05/12 22.86% 12.02% 11.25% 17.23% 1.88% 1.54% 2.56% 1.02% 1.79% 3.41%
2026/05/13 27.07% 21.1% 18.29% 2.84% 2.8% 1.46% 3.91% 2.45% 2.42% 0.98%
2026/05/14 27.15% 23.67% 16.25% 3.16% 1.72% 1.38% 2.97% 1.44% 2.32% 0.81%
2026/05/15 26.59% 22.9% 15.79% 3.41% 1.67% 0.4% 5.04% 1% 3.61% 1.35%
2026/05/16 29.99% 19.56% 18.17% 2.84% 2.75% 1.51% 3.42% 1.78% 0% 0.9%
2026/05/17 27.35% 18.79% 17.37% 2.29% 2.26% 1.83% 2.8% 2.75% 1.71% 0.68%
2026/05/18 27.13% 22.88% 15.55% 2.23% 2.05% 1.8% 3.78% 2.41% 1.8% 0.9%
2026/05/19 30.77% 24.08% 18.91% 1.44% 1.15% 1.46% 2.81% 3.29% 0.99% 0.52%
2026/05/20 30.58% 21.11% 19.89% 1.67% 1.18% 1.62% 2.74% 2.51% 2.29% 0.6%
2026/05/21 26.61% 20.23% 17.59% 3.44% 1.78% 2.34% 2.32% 1.68% 2.73% 0.92%
2026/05/22 26.38% 20.85% 18.23% 4.35% 1.6% 2.52% 3.2% 2.92% 3.34% 0.79%
2026/05/23 28.01% 19.88% 19.31% 6.28% 1.69% 2.37% 3.65% 2.08% 0% 0.83%
2026/05/24 27.34% 20.82% 19.87% 4.55% 2.77% 1.96% 2.81% 2.69% 0.01% 0.86%
2026/05/25 27.04% 16.79% 15.26% 5.79% 1.85% 2.78% 3.53% 2.74% 0.89% 0.93%
2026/05/26 26.3% 21.07% 14.38% 4.82% 2.18% 2.95% 2.85% 2.72% 2.53% 0.76%
2026/05/27 23.22% 25.52% 13.59% 4.6% 2.17% 2.09% 1.98% 1.68% 3.03% 0.8%
2026/05/28 23.47% 26.92% 17.09% 4.27% 1.94% 2.17% 2.36% 2.69% 1.8% 0.69%
2026/05/29 25% 24.42% 18.55% 3.27% 2.16% 3.74% 3.03% 1.02% 2.11% 0.69%
2026/05/30 26.16% 21.39% 19.27% 3.09% 2.17% 4.16% 2.11% 1.8% 0.01% 0.69%
2026/05/31 27.35% 19.39% 18.57% 4.31% 3.81% 3.62% 1.8% 1.8% 1.03% 0.68%
  • carwow.co.uk
  • webuyanycar.com
  • motorway.co.uk
  • cargurus.co.uk
  • arnoldclark.com
  • autotrader.co.uk
  • motorpoint.co.uk
  • motormoolah.com
  • bestcarbuyer.co.uk
  • cinch.co.uk

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Carwow.co.uk led May with fluctuating spend, peaking at 30.77%. Webuyanycar.com saw a mid-month dip, while Motorway.co.uk maintained steady growth. Cargurus.co.uk spiked mid-month, ending at 4.31%. Arnoldclark.com and Autotrader.co.uk showed consistent low spend. Motorpoint.co.uk and Motormoolah.com had varied trends, while Bestcarbuyer.co.uk and Cinch.co.uk remained minimal.

Market Exposure

Competitor Count for UK Automotive Online Car Retailers

Ever wondered how many competitors you’re up against in your industry? Well look no further, here we can see the number of advertisers bidding over the last month. 

Competitor Count - Last month
Competitor Count - Last month
Date Competitor Count
2026/05/01 259
2026/05/02 233
2026/05/03 250
2026/05/04 252
2026/05/05 263
2026/05/06 253
2026/05/07 271
2026/05/08 273
2026/05/09 253
2026/05/10 247
2026/05/11 336
2026/05/12 364
2026/05/13 324
2026/05/14 341
2026/05/15 273
2026/05/16 339
2026/05/17 319
2026/05/18 326
2026/05/19 309
2026/05/20 312
2026/05/21 329
2026/05/22 333
2026/05/23 326
2026/05/24 325
2026/05/25 349
2026/05/26 358
2026/05/27 345
2026/05/28 335
2026/05/29 329
2026/05/30 317
2026/05/31 321

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

May began with 259 advertisers, fluctuating mid-month, peaking at 364 on May 12. The month concluded with 321 advertisers, indicating a steady increase.

Campaign Efficiency

Market Loss & Market Gains for UK Automotive Online Car Retailers

Here we’re looking at the Top 10 biggest industry movers by market share gains and losses for the last 30 days.

Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Name Market Trend
autotrader.co.uk 4.36%
motorway.co.uk 0.9%
webuyanycar.com 0.81%
arnoldclark.com 0.75%
leasing.com 0.51%
polestar.com -0.39%
bmw.co.uk -0.47%
cinch.co.uk -1.16%
pistonheads.com -1.25%
cargurus.co.uk -3.42%

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

AutoTrader.co.uk surged with a 4.36% click share increase, while CarGurus.co.uk dropped by 3.42%.

Campaign Efficiency

UK Automotive Online Car Retailers Share of Impressions

Take a look at the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Impressions over the last month.

Date carwow.co.uk motorway.co.uk cargurus.co.uk webuyanycar.com autotrader.co.uk arnoldclark.com pistonheads.com carsupermarket.com cinch.co.uk motorpoint.co.uk
2026/05/01 20.01% 19.32% 10.87% 7.11% 0.8% 1.51% 2.75% 2.27% 2.23% 2.14%
2026/05/02 17.69% 16.15% 14.52% 9.02% 2.21% 0.86% 2.95% 2.67% 1.47% 2.33%
2026/05/03 19.33% 19.48% 9.76% 11.06% 1.04% 1.71% 2.41% 1.86% 2.18% 2.05%
2026/05/04 17.66% 20.68% 9.33% 11.08% 0.95% 1.33% 2.38% 1.98% 1.94% 1.88%
2026/05/05 17.51% 16.76% 9.64% 9.84% 0.86% 1.23% 2.49% 4.21% 2.82% 1.1%
2026/05/06 20.57% 18.68% 10.38% 7.82% 1.06% 1.5% 3.41% 1.53% 2.58% 1.89%
2026/05/07 18.84% 21.1% 8.54% 10.71% 1.06% 0.73% 2.45% 2.46% 3.37% 1.66%
2026/05/08 20.68% 17.09% 9.6% 8.73% 0.82% 1.44% 2.87% 1.59% 2.88% 2.39%
2026/05/09 20.15% 19.49% 8.35% 10.53% 1.05% 1.34% 2.38% 1.75% 2.04% 2.73%
2026/05/10 21.67% 16.18% 8.85% 7.85% 2.08% 2.17% 2.68% 2.09% 2.94% 2.26%
2026/05/11 16.33% 8.68% 24.79% 3.06% 2.29% 1.72% 3.2% 3.38% 4.28% 1.78%
2026/05/12 15.26% 7.73% 26.32% 2.98% 2.02% 1.51% 2.2% 2.47% 5.21% 1.74%
2026/05/13 19.5% 20.91% 7.74% 8.51% 3.47% 2.75% 2.11% 2.61% 2.16% 2.03%
2026/05/14 19.75% 18.2% 8.8% 9.46% 3.47% 2.76% 2.18% 2.15% 1.64% 1.53%
2026/05/15 20.68% 17.09% 9.6% 8.73% 0.82% 1.44% 2.87% 1.59% 2.88% 2.39%
2026/05/16 25.88% 20.13% 7.47% 7.76% 3.53% 2.98% 1.65% 2.16% 1.64% 1.64%
2026/05/17 21.5% 19.14% 5.79% 7.93% 3.83% 3.41% 1.84% 2.31% 1.29% 1.31%
2026/05/18 22% 16.46% 5.9% 11.42% 4.19% 3.08% 2.14% 2.18% 1.84% 1.82%
2026/05/19 23.84% 22.01% 4.32% 11.25% 3.79% 2.01% 2.5% 1.63% 1.1% 1.17%
2026/05/20 22.92% 23.14% 4.82% 9.13% 4.12% 1.99% 2.12% 2.08% 1.26% 1.11%
2026/05/21 20.75% 18.89% 8.18% 8.37% 5.01% 2.77% 1.35% 3.04% 1.72% 1.3%
2026/05/22 20.2% 20.54% 10.62% 8.94% 5.16% 2.53% 1.56% 2.39% 1.5% 2.03%
2026/05/23 20.55% 20.3% 14.65% 8.74% 5.02% 2.56% 1.65% 2.01% 1.47% 1.78%
2026/05/24 19.17% 20.75% 10.95% 9.31% 4.1% 3.21% 1.96% 2.42% 1.57% 1.85%
2026/05/25 16.28% 14.68% 13.29% 7.69% 5.24% 3.1% 2.24% 3.14% 1.48% 2.1%
2026/05/26 17.98% 12.64% 10.9% 8.37% 5.62% 3.7% 1.81% 3.56% 1.27% 1.57%
2026/05/27 16.05% 14.3% 11.42% 10% 4.77% 3.91% 1.43% 3.33% 1.43% 1.51%
2026/05/28 17.07% 18.64% 10.56% 10.61% 5.06% 3.52% 1.6% 2.42% 1.27% 1.63%
2026/05/29 18.85% 20.99% 7.89% 9.56% 7.67% 2.55% 1.55% 1.81% 1.25% 1.9%
2026/05/30 20.11% 19.64% 7.43% 8.16% 8.22% 3.39% 1.75% 1.71% 1.34% 1.33%
2026/05/31 20.67% 18.97% 10.18% 7.34% 6.89% 3.87% 1.83% 1.49% 1.17% 0.96%
  • carwow.co.uk
  • motorway.co.uk
  • cargurus.co.uk
  • webuyanycar.com
  • autotrader.co.uk
  • arnoldclark.com
  • pistonheads.com
  • carsupermarket.com
  • cinch.co.uk
  • motorpoint.co.uk

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Carwow.co.uk led May with fluctuating impressions, peaking at 25.88% on the 16th. Motorway.co.uk saw a mid-month surge, while Cargurus.co.uk spiked early, then declined. Webuyanycar.com and Autotrader.co.uk showed steady growth. Arnoldclark.com and Pistonheads.com remained stable.

Campaign Efficiency

Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for UK Automotive Online Car Retailers

Ever wondered how your rivals’ ads are doing? Here we can see the top-performing ads in the industry over the last month.

Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for UK Automotive Online Car Retailers - Last month
  1. 1
    We Will Buy Your Car https://www.bestcarbuyer.co.uk › online-quote

    The UK's Favourite Car Buyers — Will Buy All Cars Under 7 Years Old. Enter Your Reg Online Today With Us! Selling Your Car Has Never Been So Fast, So Get An Online Quote And Instant...

  2. 2
    Enter Reg for free valuation https://www.carwow.co.uk

    We collect & pay quickly — Simple, free online process, home collection, and fast payment. Sell with Carwow

  3. 3
    Free Valuation - Enter Reg https://www.motorway.co.uk

    84% Get More Than Market Price — Simply Enter Your Reg To Get A Free Valuation. Find Your Highest Offer On Motorway. Sellers On...

  4. 4
    We Buy Any Premium Car - Top Prices for High Spec Cars https://www.premiumcarbuyingservice.com

    We Are the Best Buyers of High-Quality Prestige, Sports and 4WD Vehicles from £5,000++ Use Premium Car Buyers to Sell...

  5. 5
    We Buy Any Car | Free Valuation in 30 Seconds https://www.webuyanycar.com

    Get started by entering your reg number and see how much your car is worth in 30 secs. Selling your car made simple – enter your reg and get a free 30 second valuation now.

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In the competitive world of online car sales, five advertisers stand out with compelling PPC ads. Bestcarbuyer.co.uk promises a swift, hassle-free sale for cars under seven years. Carwow.co.uk emphasizes a simple, fast process with home collection. Motorway.co.uk highlights sellers getting above market price. Premiumcarbuyingservice.com targets high-spec vehicles, offering top prices. Webuyanycar.com assures quick valuations in just 30 seconds. Each ad uniquely appeals to sellers, focusing on speed, convenience, and value.

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