Motorway

Motorway

Online car marketplace enabling dealer bidding

Overview

Motorway is a UK online marketplace that connects private sellers of used cars with a network of professional dealers. Sellers receive an instant valuation and can create a profile with photos before listing the car in a daily sale where thousands of verified dealers bid. The highest bid is shown to the seller, who can accept and have the winning dealer collect the car and pay by bank transfer. The service is free for private sellers; Motorway earns revenue by charging a commission to buying dealers, aiming to maximize sale value through dealer competition and a transparent bidding process.

About Motorway

Simplify's Rating
Why Motorway is rated
B-
Rated B on Competitive Edge
Rated B on Growth Potential
Rated C on Differentiation

Industries

Data & Analytics

Automotive & Transportation

Consumer Software

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Growth Equity (Venture Capital)

Total Funding

$337.6M

Headquarters

London, United Kingdom

Founded

2017

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • May 2026 Mobilize partnership opens low-mileage, two-to-four-year-old supply from leasing and finance exits.
  • January 2026 £25 million Trinity Capital facility funds growth after 2024 losses.
  • Dealer tools and Motorway Pay deepen retention and transaction velocity across the network.

What critics are saying

  • 2024 pre-tax loss hit £37.3 million, and Motorway targets mid-2026 profitability.
  • Dealer liquidity weakens during 2026, crushing bid intensity and commission revenue across the marketplace.
  • Auto Trader, BCA, and Cinch can outspend Motorway, stealing seller traffic and dealer mindshare.

What makes Motorway unique

  • Motorway matches private sellers with 5,000-plus verified dealers, driving auction-style price competition.
  • February 2026 Incode verification and April 2026 AI profiling sharpen trust and fraud control.
  • May 2026 Mobilize remarketing extends Motorway into finance-return stock without physical auction sites.

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Funding

Total Funding

$337.6M

Above

Industry Average

Funded Over

6 Rounds

Notable Investors:
Growth Equity VC funding comparison data is currently unavailable. We're working to provide this information soon!
Growth Equity VC Funding Comparison
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Benefits

Stock Options

Company Equity

Paid Vacation

Flexible Work Hours

Hybrid Work Options

Health Insurance

Life Insurance

Parental Leave

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

1%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

0%
AM Online
May 22nd, 2026
Motorway launches remarketing service with Mobilize Financial Services.

Motorway launches remarketing service with Mobilize Financial Services. * By Tom Seymour * | * 22 May 2026 * News Motorway has launched a new enterprise remarketing service in the UK, opening up a fresh supply channel of end-of-finance vehicles for its dealer partners. Mobilize Financial Services, the finance partner for Renault Group brands and Nissan in the UK, is the first company to adopt the platform. The move expands Motorway's role in the used car market beyond consumer-to-dealer transactions and into the remarketing sector, targeting vehicles that are typically between two and four years old with low mileage and single ownership. Motorway said its new model removes the need for physical auction sites, storage and multiple transport stages that are commonly associated with traditional end-of-finance contract processes. Instead, registered keepers profile their vehicle through a dedicated app, including recording any damage, before the car is auctioned directly to dealers through Motorway's platform. Following a successful sale, a BVRLA-compliant inspection is completed at the customer's address before the vehicle is transported directly to the purchasing dealer. Motorway said the process is designed to reduce operational complexity, speed up vehicle turnaround times and improve value retention for remarketing partners. A new stream of stock for dealers. For dealers, Motorway said the service creates access to a new stream of stock through the same Motorway platform they already use, without requiring additional systems or onboarding. Motorway said the vehicles available through the service will typically be less than four years old and have covered fewer than 30,000 miles. All vehicles purchased through the remarketing service will include Motorway Protect at no additional cost. Motorway Protect is an FCA-regulated insurance offering - powered by Opteven UK. The warranty provides dealers with protection against unforeseen mechanical and electrical issues discovered after purchasing a vehicle. Dealers will also receive reduced fees on Motorway Move, the company's logistics service, which includes BVRLA-standard inspections and pre-agreed collection dates. "Remarketing sector overdue a rebuild..." Tom Leathes, chief executive and co-founder of Motorway, said: "For nearly 10 years, Motorway has worked to rebuild how used cars get bought and sold. Network Needs Ltd started with private sellers, and Network Needs Ltd is now applying the same model to remarketing. "Traditional remarketing wasn't designed for the technology Network Needs Ltd has now. Cars get collected, sent to a physical site for storage, sold through an auction, then transported again and the whole process takes weeks. "Network Needs Ltd has removed the steps and built something better. Leasing firms get more value from their stock and reduce operational complexity, dealers get a new, consistent supply of prime stock direct from the source, and leasing customers get a faster, simpler end of contract experience. "Mobilize is the perfect first partner for this. They've been ambitious about how they think about the end of contract experience, and this is a part of the market that's well overdue a rebuild." Brian Williams, chief executive of Mobilize Financial Services, said: "Its new partnership with Motorway represents a significant strategic advancement, fundamentally reshaping how Network Needs Ltd bring high-quality used vehicles to its dealer networks, delivering improved speed and efficiency. "Its dealer partners will gain faster access to low-mileage stock, empowering them to better respond to market demand, while its customers will benefit from a streamlined inspect and collect experience, and even greater transparency throughout their end-of-contract journeys. "Together with Motorway we're redefining the future of used vehicle distribution and reinforcing our commitment to innovation." Automotive Management Live, the UK's leading event for motor retailers, returned for 2025 at Birmingham's NEC on November 12. The insight-packed day saw dealer group leaders and other automotive managers gain real-world strategies from expert-led seminars, network with their peers and meet 80+ leading suppliers showcasing the latest innovations. Automotive Management Live helped dealer group leaders: * Understand which car brands are likely to thrive or merely survive in the UK's new car market in the long term * Hear how they can better protect their business from the threat of cyber criminals * Identify their next steps to manage the impact of a motor finance commissions redress scheme on their administration teams * Spot the opportunities that artificial intelligence and technology can provide for their operations without adding more complexity to their tech stack * Plan their strategies for new and used car sales growth, service retention and workforce motivation. 2026 DIARY DATE: November 11 at the NEC Freelance writer. Tom Seymour is an experienced freelance journalist specialising in the automotive and business sectors, with more than 20 years' experience reporting and analysing industry developments. As a regular contributor to Bauer Media's B2B titles Fleet News and Automotive Management (AM), he covers topics ranging from fleet operations and electrification to dealership performance, manufacturer strategy and the wider mobility landscape. In addition to his writing, Tom presents and hosts webinars for AM, leading discussions with senior industry figures on key trends and challenges affecting the UK automotive retail sector. He also plays a central role in shaping and delivering content for the annual Automotive Management Live show, developing sessions that explore innovation, leadership and operational excellence across the industry. Since moving into freelance journalism in 2015, Tom has worked with a range of business, technology and transport publications from his "box in the garden" in Norwich. Away from deadlines he is a former alternative rock drummer and committed movie buff, as well as a perpetually exhausted father of two lively goblins.

AM Online
Feb 6th, 2026
Motorway launches AI-powered seller verification to cut fraud risk

Motorway launches AI-powered seller verification to cut fraud risk. * By Aimee Turner * | * 6 February 2026 * News Motorway has announced a new AI-powered seller verification system aimed at giving its dealer partners greater peace of mind when buying used stock through the platform. The company said the upgrade is designed to deliver higher-quality listings by strengthening document checks that confirm sellers have the right to sell their vehicles. The move is intended to help protect dealers from bad actors and reduce the risk of purchasing problematic vehicles such as stolen or clocked cars. Developed in partnership with Incode, the system uses AI and automation to verify seller documents in real time, including V5C, driving licences and finance settlement letters. It also introduces real-time facial image capture for identity verification, with the aim of making checks faster and more consistent. For sellers, Motorway said the process will be simpler and more efficient, with instant document feedback. For dealers, the company said the change should mean easier access to higher-quality, verified stock. James Wilson, chief operating officer at Motorway, said: "While very rare, purchasing a stolen or clocked vehicle can be a real blow to a dealer. Our partnership with Incode gives dealers an extra layer of reassurance, by making sure every seller on our platform is genuine." Roman Karachinsky, chief product officer at Incode, added: "Motorway is modernising its service to give dealers a safer, simpler way to buy, and we share that same mission of digital trust. Incode is leveraging advanced AI to stay one step ahead of fraud, innovating faster than the threats themselves." The rollout has started with an initial segment of sellers and is continuing, with the goal of automating most verification tasks while reserving specialist cases for manual review. Motorway said that by the end of Q1 2026, the system is expected to cover more than 95% of sales, enabling a secure level of seller verification at scale. AM Dealer Recommended 2026. The AM Dealer Recommended programme allows dealerships to have their say about the companies they trust most to provide the best partnership. Each year gmd people Ltd gather opinions via research conducted among Automotive Management's registered dealer audience. The top performing companies have now been granted Dealer Recommended status. See if your suppliers made the list - or who you should consider working with in 2026. Deputy editor. Aimée Turner is deputy editor at Automotive Management, where she helps steer the daily and long-range editorial agenda for one of the UK's most-read B2B titles serving automotive retail. Award-winning and deadline-hardened, she specialises in the parts of the industry where the stakes are highest and the jargon is thickest: technology, market development and the business model shifts that decide who thrives and who simply survives. With 20+ years in journalism across automotive and aviation, Aimée has built a reputation for turning complex industry change into clear, usable insight. At Automotive Management she focuses on the EV transition, supply and stock-mix dynamics, profitability pressures, and the practical realities of manufacturing and retail transformation, from emerging brands and network strategy to the operational impact of data, digital tools and regulation. Her work is grounded in what retailers and decision-makers actually need: what's changing, why it matters, and what to do next. Recognition for her work includes BCA Feature Writer of the Year in the 2025 Guild of Motoring Writers Awards alongside multiple international journalism accolades. The winning feature focussed on Paul Philpott's leadership at Kia UK and took a fresh approach to a manufacturer insight by reframing a well-trodden corporate turnaround story through the prism of dealer relations, trust-building, and long-term cultural change. Importantly, the feature went beyond recounting the past to explore Kia's philosophy of partnership - transparency and equal opportunity among its dealer partners - positioning these values as lessons for the wider industry. Aimée holds a BA (Hons) French with Italian from the University of London and a PGCert in French from the University of Leicester. Aimée's career began after a four-year interlude in the groves of Academe before moving fully into specialist business journalism after learning the craft on the local beat. She went on to report and edit across leading aviation titles, including Flight International and Air Traffic Management, covering European and international programmes, policy and technology with a focus on safety, sustainability and system-wide reform. Aimée's love for Radiohead is best described as a long-running commitment to music that treats sound like engineering: precise and quietly merciless. She reckons Radiohead reflects the job of a journalist perfectly: built as it is on the same uncomfortable virtues: curiosity, scepticism, pattern-spotting - all the virtues that make for a perfectly written paragraph. She speaks French professionally and can also order a beer and a ham sandwich in Italian and Spanish. When she's not interrogating markets or chasing a clean quote, you'll find her at Uppingham Volleyball Club, discovering fresh ways to practise resilience, usually involving bruises, bad calls and a ball that absolutely has it in for her.

PR Newswire
Feb 2nd, 2026
Trinity Capital Inc. Closes Deal with Motorway, Providing £25m to Fuel Further UK Growth

/PRNewswire/ -- Trinity Capital Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIN) (the "Company"), a leading international alternative asset manager, today announced the commitment of £25...

City A.M.
Jan 5th, 2026
Motorway secures £25M loan as losses jump 17% to £37M

Motorway, a London-based used car marketplace valued at over $1 billion in 2021, has secured a £25 million loan after reporting widening losses. The company drew down £15 million by year-end, with the loan structured as interest-only for two years before 30-month repayments begin. The firm's pre-tax loss jumped 17.4% to £37.3 million in 2024, despite revenue growing 8.9% to £66.4 million. Chief executive Tom Leathes attributed the losses to strategic investments in platform stability and dealer infrastructure, particularly its payment platform Motorway Pay, which has attracted over 2,000 dealers. Founded in 2016, Motorway has facilitated over 500,000 car sales with £2.2 billion in gross merchandise value in 2024. The company remains committed to reaching profitability.

AIM Group
Nov 17th, 2023
Motorway releases two new features for dealers

U.K.-based used-car marketplace Motorway has unveiled two new features free to dealers.

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