CARWOW ACQUIRES LEADING AUTOMOTIVE TITLES

Carwow, the online car-changing marketplace, today announces the acquisition of Autovia, the automotive content and commerce media company, for an undisclosed sum.

Autovia reaches over 15 million car owners, buyers and enthusiasts every month through its leading print and digital titles including Auto Express, evo, DrivingElectric and Carbuyer, as well as its annual automotive satisfaction survey, Driver Power. As a leading publisher of automotive content, Autovia offers automotive partners innovative solutions in advertising and this acquisition will significantly grow Carwow’s reach and capabilities with in-market car buyers and sellers in the UK.

Combined with Carwow’s world-leading content, which includes its YouTube channel that generated over 1.1bn video views in 2023, the acquisition significantly expands Carwow’s audience reach. It will add to Carwow’s advertising and e-commerce capabilities for its car manufacturer and dealer partners, to help meet the growing digital demand to engage with millions of consumers who are considering changing their cars. The deal also presents new opportunities for embedding Carwow’s e-commerce offering for new and used–car sales across Autovia’s brand titles, as well as for motorists looking to sell their old cars.

Since 2011, Carwow has helped over 2.5 million people find, buy or sell a car, becoming a go-to online destination for new cars in the UK, Germany and Spain. One in every 10 of all new cars registered privately in the UK is bought via its website, and since the company added their car-selling platform to its UK offering in 2021, it has helped drivers to sell over 122,000 used cars directly to more than 4,500 trusted dealer partners, worth a combined value of over £1.6 billion.

John Veichmanis, Carwow’s CEO, said: “Over the last decade, we’ve become synonymous with creating some of the world’s most popular, entertaining, and informative car content. As a result, Carwow is the starting point for millions of drivers when they think about changing cars. We help our drivers research, shortlist, find a new car and sell their old one, all in one place. We’re super-excited about the Autovia team joining the Carwow family as combining these well-respected and much-loved publishing brands with our marketplace, enabling even more people to change their cars with the Carwow Group.”

Julian Lloyd-Evans, Executive Director at Autovia, said: “We are very pleased to become part of the Carwow Group. Like us, Carwow places huge value on quality, independent, editorial that gives its audiences the knowledge and reassurance they need, no matter what their budget or preference, when it comes to changing their car. In Carwow, we are excited to be part of an industry-leading marketplace business that delivers a great customer experience and significant sales for its OEM and dealer partners.”

Carwow – Tim Gearey press@carwow.com
PFPR (Automotive Trade) Peter Cox carwow@pfpr.com

About Carwow

Car changing is a big deal. Carwow is where you come to get the big deals done. Thanks to expert advice, a wide range of models and makes and a network of verified dealers, we make it easy – whether you’re buying, selling or dreaming. With over 2.5m monthly users, we’re proud to be the one-stop shop to change your car. As an important partner for the automotive industry, we use market-leading insights and create top-notch advertising content to fuel the success of the dealers and brands we partner with.

Since Carwow was founded, it has:

• Raised $157m from some of the biggest tech, marketplace and automotive investors, including Balderton Capital, Accel, Vitruvian Partners, Episode and Samos
• Become one of the biggest automotive channels on YouTube, hitting almost 9 million subscribers thanks to Mat Watson and the team.
• Created a service customers love, with a 4.7 rating on Trustpilot from almost 50,000 reviews
• Launched its ‘Sell My Car’ service in the UK where dealers compete to get customers the best price for their car.
• Offices in the UK, Germany, Spain and Portugal with a combined team of 400+.

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About Autovia

Autovia is Britain’s biggest automotive media owner, and has the only automotive media portfolio to cover the entire UK car market, from performance cars to mass-market models. Its editorial teams have extensive access to the UK and global car industry, making them one of the leading established authorities in all things automotive.

Autovia’s touchpoints are varied, covering print, online, social, events and e-commerce, allowing conversations with a wide spectrum of consumers ranging from in-market car buyers to lifelong enthusiasts.

Its market-leading brands include Auto Express, which covers the entire car market, and the Plain English Campaign-approved Carbuyer, which speaks directly to an in-market audience. DrivingElectric covers the entire electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid car market, while evo represents enthusiasts of high-performance vehicles.