Written evidence submitted by Carwow Group (SEV0095)
Introduction to Carwow and Carwow Group
About Carwow Group: Carwow Group is a pioneering force in car-changing and the destination for drivers to buy, sell and discover new, used and leased cars. Founded in 2024 following the acquisition of Autovia by Carwow Ltd, we are home to a diverse portfolio of influential motoring brands, including Carwow, Auto Express, evo, Driving Electric, Driver Power and Carwow Leasey. As industry innovators, Carwow Group combines commerce and editorial expertise to help drivers make confident car-buying decisions. In our markets of UK, Germany and Spain, our brands have been informing, entertaining and serving motorists for decades.
Our reach and authority:
● Annual website visits: 144 million+
● Annual YouTube views: 1.1 billion+
● Annual print reach: 1.2 million copies sold (Auto Express & Evo combined)
● Annual social media reach: 651 million+
Carwow Group’s reason for submitting evidence
Carwow Group welcomes the Committee’s inquiry into how effectively the UK’s EV transition is progressing.
Our evidence draws on:
● Our marketplace data and user behaviour observed across the car-changing journey;
● consumer insight from our editorial audiences and on-site surveys, especially on barriers to private EV uptake, and
● A nationally representative survey of approximately 1,000 consumers conducted every month, since 2022, tracking EV confidence and purchasing intent over time - our ‘Car Confidence Study’.
This combination of data sources allows us to assess not just interest in EVs, but whether policy is translating into real purchasing decisions.
Executive summary
● The Electric Car Grant (up to £3,750 for eligible EVs priced ≤£37,000) is directionally positive and has worked well to stimulate consumer interest in the EV market.
● However, polling of nearly 4,000 active UK car buyers on the Carwow platform since the scheme was launched, shows that low awareness of the scheme itself, limited grant value, and the two-tier grant system are adding to low confidence and leading consumers to delay EV purchase decisions.
● Since April 2025, zero-emission vehicles are no longer exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty, and higher-priced EVs face the Expensive Car Supplement, risking a dampening effect on demand at a critical moment.
● Carwow’s ‘Car Confidence Study’ - a monthly, nationally representative, survey that’s been running since 2022 - shows consumer confidence in EVs has remained broadly flat over that time. While interest spikes following policy announcements, underlying purchase intent has not shifted materially.
● Carwow research shows that a lack of first-hand experience remains a barrier to EV adoption. Over a third of UK drivers say they have never sat in an electric car, despite evidence that test drives significantly increase switching intent. Once they make the switch, the vast majority of drivers (82%) tell us they wouldn’t go back to an ICE vehicle for their next car.
● The proposed Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED), planned for April 2028 and currently under consultation, has already affected consumer EV confidence and must be designed to avoid disproportionately penalising drivers with limited charging choice.
● Charging infrastructure has rapidly expanded over the last few years, but challenges around affordability in particular, as well as reliability and equitable access, remain key issues.
● To support mass adoption, the UK must also strengthen the used EV ecosystem, including battery health transparency and clearer resale value signals.
Our response
How effective have Government policies been in driving EV adoption to date, and what further action is required to accelerate take-up?
The launch of the Electric Car Grant in July 2025 had an immediate and material impact on consumer behaviour on the Carwow platform, demonstrating the power of clear policy signals to stimulate interest at scale.
Snap polling conducted on the Carwow site, at the launch of the grant, showed that 67% of UK drivers said the £3,750 grant would make them more likely to buy an EV in the next 12 months, while 70% expressed support for the policy overall. This attitudinal response was mirrored in real behaviour. Immediately following the announcement of the scheme, average daily EV enquiries[1] on Carwow more than doubled (+100%), compared with the same period in 2024 while visits to Carwow’s electric vehicle hub increased by 160% and traffic to webpages highlighting more affordable electric cars rose by 470%. In total, more than 46,000 users visited Carwow’s EV grant explainer content, as consumers sought to understand how the policy might affect their purchasing decisions.
Momentum accelerated further as eligible vehicles were gradually approved and added to the scheme in August and September. This was well timed to support the sale of EVs in a key month for car sales, as the new registration plate also pushes market demand.
Our behavioural data shows immediate responsiveness to policy signals. In the week following the grant announcement, on the Carwow platform:
● Customer enquiries for EVs priced under £37,000 increased 124% week-on-week;
● Customer enquiries for EVs priced above the threshold rose 57%, indicating a broader confidence effect;
● Notably, 51% of users considering a grant-eligible EV at this stage were engaging with electric vehicles for the first time, indicating that the grant successfully expanded the EV consideration funnel rather than merely reshuffling demand among existing EV intenders.
Customer interest remained elevated into Autumn and engagement with Carwow’s dedicated EV Hub stayed strong through-out Q4, with EV discovery reaching a 2025 high in October, when 475,000 users engaged with EV content. By this point, electric vehicles accounted for around one-third of all models discovered on the platform, underlining the breadth of consideration being driven by the policy.
These patterns demonstrate that the grant successfully captured consumer attention and stimulated consideration at scale. Taken together, this early evidence shows that the launch of Electric Car Grant was highly effective at driving awareness, engagement and first-time consideration.
However, while leads[2] for EV grant-eligible cars peaked at 29% in September 2025, this share fell to 17% by December 2025. This suggests that sustained communication around the grant to educate another cohort of users in their buying cycle could be needed to continue that pace of car discovery and consideration.
Private v.s. Fleet policy
Government policy has historically been most effective where it has delivered clear, immediate and financially meaningful incentives, particularly in the company car market. Salary sacrifice and Benefit-in-Kind schemes have significantly reduced the perceived risk (and cost) of switching to electric vehicles for fleet drivers, and this is reflected in the dominance of fleets in new EV registrations.
ICE v.s. EV paths to purchase
Private buyers, however, face a very different reality. Carwow marketplace data shows that while around one third of our customers would consider an EV as their next car, most private buyers still associate EVs with higher cost, uncertainty and inconvenience. This is reflected in purchasing behaviour. EV buyers on the Carwow platform take around 40 days longer on average to complete a purchase journey than ICE buyers (192 days compared with 149 days), spending more time researching, comparing and switching between models and brands.
Our analysis indicates that communications around the grant likely captured interest among buyers at the start of their journey in early summer 2025 (assuming a purchase cycle of around 172 days) but did not reach later purchase-cycle cohorts, such as those beginning their journey from autumn 2025 onwards.
ICE buyers typically configure 32 versions across nine models and five brands. EV buyers, by contrast, configure more models across more brands, reflecting a higher cognitive burden and lower confidence. This pattern indicates hesitation rather than rejection.
There are now 46 grant-eligible electric models available across two distinct grant levels; however, the EV grant headline figure (£3,750) applies to just eight eligible cars.
With different models from the same OEM qualifying for different grant levels, often due to where the battery is produced, this complexity risks being lost on customers - creating confusion in dealerships. For example, the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross Long Range qualifies for the full grant, while eight other Citroën models, including the standard ë-C5 Aircross, qualify for only half. Carwow Group has invested heavily in content and tools across our brands and different channels, to help consumers navigate this growing EV grant choice and complexity.
However, while education is necessary, it is not sufficient on its own. Beyond knowledge-boosting content and independent editorial guidance, additional confidence-building intervention is still required to move private buyers from consideration to commitment.
How effective are existing incentives (such as the Electric Car Grant) in influencing EV take-up, and to what extent might further or different forms of support be required?
The effectiveness of existing incentives, such as the Electric Car Grant, is structurally limited. In 2025, the UK new car market saw 2,020,520 registrations (SMMT), of which 473,348 were battery electric vehicles. However, only 115,970 of these (around one in fourwere private registrations.
By targeting the Electric Car Grant solely at new, private EV purchases, the Government is relying on a relatively small segment of the overall market to drive change across the wider industry. As a result, while the grant may influence behaviour among a narrow group of buyers, it is unlikely to deliver mass-market EV adoption or shift the broader market at pace. We would suggest that a limited-scope incentive can play a supporting role, but on its own is unlikely to drive widespread EV adoption.
Grant awareness and clarity remain limiting factors
Analysis of 3,959[3] active UK car buyers (captured across three sentiment surveys on the Carwow platform over seven months), shows that despite significant early engagement following the grant’s launch, awareness of the Electric Car Grant remains stubbornly low. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of in-market motorists on Carwow report that they are still unaware of the scheme.
Among those who are aware, many report that it has not yet decisively changed their purchasing decision (38%), with upfront cost still cited as the primary barrier (23%). More than half of respondents remain unsure whether the grant makes switching to an EV easier, and many feel that the pool of eligible models is too limited.
The effect is real, but fragile
This suggests that this initial momentum risks dissipating without further clarity and confidence. Only a minority of respondents said the grant had clearly reduced the cost barrier, while many indicated they were waiting for more models to become eligible or for greater certainty about the longevity and scope of support.
Carwow’s Car Confidence Study, drawn from a nationally representative survey of over 1,000 UK consumers, conducted monthly since 2022, shows that the proportion of consumers who say an EV is likely to be their next car has remained broadly flat over time. Policy announcements create short-term spikes in interest, but do not shift the underlying baseline of purchase intent.
By tracking the reasons given by those in our Car Confidence Study for not choosing an EV over the same period our data shows persistent barriers. Purchase price and access to convenient public charging have remained the most frequently cited concerns year after year, with no material decline. This suggests that hesitation is structural, not transitional.
What would make an incentive decisive?
When asked directly whether support levels matter, 2,890 respondents (73%) to our Carwow on-site surveys said they would be more likely to choose an EV if all eligible vehicles received the full £3,750 grant. This demonstrates that private EV demand is highly elastic, but current incentives are not yet strong or clear enough to convert interest into mass adoption.
In short, current policy nudges behaviour, but does not yet drive scale. Further action from Government is therefore required to:
● ensure incentives are meaningful enough to close the perceived price gap at the point of decision; and
● provide a stable and clearly communicated policy environment that encourages consumers to act rather than wait.
Market progress on price is real, but perception lags
Despite these challenges, there are now far more affordable electric vehicles available than in previous years.
Firstly, our data shows that EV pricing has become materially more competitive following the introduction of the Electric Car Grant. In the six months after the grant announcement, both manufacturers and retailers have increased discounting activity across the EV market, including on models that are not directly eligible for grant support. For vehicles eligible for the £1,500 grant, manufacturer discounts (inclusive of the grant) increased from an average of 2.45% to 6.59% off RRP, while dealer-led discounts on the Carwow platform have also grown, resulting in an average total saving of 9.84% for consumers.
Importantly, this competitive effect has not been limited to grant-eligible models. Non-grant-eligible electric vehicles have also become more price competitive, as brands without approved models respond to increased market pressure. Average discounts on non-eligible EVs increased from 4.97% in the six months prior to the grant announcement to 6.28% in the six months following it. In practice, the £3,750 grant level has begun to function as an informal industry benchmark for EV discounting, demonstrating how targeted public incentives can catalyse broader price competition across the market.
Secondly, EVs are increasingly accessible through the used market; with 10 EV models available on Carwow’s platform under £5,000. Even more recent models are presenting good value; consumers can choose from 10 used EVs under £10,000 that are three-years old or younger[4]. Leasing options have also expanded, significantly reducing the monthly cost of accessing a new electric vehicle, with 2024 models available on our platform from as little as £108 per month.
Nonetheless, consumer perception continues to lag behind market reality, with many drivers still viewing EVs as substantially more expensive than their petrol or diesel equivalents.
Carwow’s technology enables users to compare electric vehicles across new, used and leasing options, including delivery times, helping to illustrate the growing breadth of choice at a variety of price points. Alongside this, Carwow Group has invested heavily in guidance and editorial tools designed to highlight the most affordable electric vehicles that do not compromise on practicality or performance. However, the evidence suggests that market innovation alone is insufficient to overcome entrenched perceptions without policy support that is both visible and decisive.
With an estimated 7.8 million used cars being bought in the UK last year, the opportunity for the Government to strengthen the used EV ecosystem to accelerate mass adoption cannot be understated. The largest area for increasing confidence would be better battery health transparency and clearer resale value signals.
Further action from Government and industry is therefore required to:
● set or mandate a national standard for battery state-of-health disclosure for used electric vehicles, ensuring consumers receive clear, comparable and trusted information at the point of sale;
● work with regulators, manufacturers and consumer bodies to establish common guidance on battery durability, repairability and warranty transferability, reducing variation across brands and improving buyer protection;
● support public-facing consumer guidance on EV battery longevity and real-world degradation, helping to align perception with evidence and strengthen resale value confidence.
d. What are the likely implications of the introduction of Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) for the wider EV transition, and what factors should guide the Government’s approach to its implementation? What has been the effect of the introduction of VED on zero-emission cars since April 2025?
The UK’s current incentive framework sits within a wider context of policy uncertainty. Alongside the reintroduction of limited purchase support, consumers are simultaneously being presented with new or proposed costs, including changes to Vehicle Excise Duty and discussions around future road pricing.
The introduction of Vehicle Excise Duty for zero-emission vehicles from April 2025, including the application of the Expensive Car Supplement, has already sent mixed signals to consumers at a critical point in the transition.
For many buyers, we would suggest, these signals (purchase support and increased tax liability) cancel each other out. With consumers worried that the cost benefits of EVs could be eroded by Government action, the timing and control of the eVED messaging could have given consumers who were worried about moving to electric, a reason to delay the decision, potentially for another whole car-changing cycle of 3-4 years+.
● it was either poorly timed or unfair and would slow the switch to EVs (55%) - this might be particularly for those who own PHEVs who feel they’re being penalised twice as they will pay eVED in addition to petrol fuel duty.
● it was fair in principle (37%)
● it would have no impact on their purchasing plans (9%)
This suggests that even where consumers accept the logic of taxation reform, introducing new perceived costs during the early adoption phase undermines confidence.
Looking ahead, our analysis suggests the proposed introduction of eVED from 2028 must be:
● simple and predictable;
● designed with geographic and social equity in mind; and
● clearly communicated well in advance.
Any perception that EVs will become more expensive or administratively complex to run risks reinforcing hesitation rather than accelerating adoption.
f. What are the most significant factors affecting consumer confidence in EVs, including purchase and running costs, chargepoint availability, concerns about battery longevity, safety and fire risk, and what are the best steps Government and the sector could take to address them?
Confidence and consumer education
The effectiveness of both EV incentives, is further shaped by where consumers seek information on EVs and EV ownership. In a further Carwow on-site survey of 790 motorists,
● Over half said they rely primarily on news and online articles (50.9%)
● Around one in five cited social media (22%) and online marketplaces as a key information source (21.7%)
● Just 4% rely on Government websites
Well-designed incentives risk underperforming if they are not communicated through the channels consumers trust and use. Platforms such as those owned by Carwow Group, across both our news brands (and owned social channels) and transactional pages, therefore play a key role in translating policy intent into consumer understanding at the point of decision-making.
A direct dialogue with specialist publishers, alongside the wider automotive industry, in advance of major policy announcements would be highly beneficial in ensuring that messaging around new schemes is clear, consistent and confidence-building from the outset. Crucially, this engagement should take place once key elements such as vehicle eligibility, grant structure and consumer qualification criteria are confirmed, to avoid uncertainty at launch and reduce ‘wait-and-see’ behaviour among in-market buyers.
We believe that if the convenience of EV ownership can catch up to that of ICE cars and when clearly communicated, the decision on whether or not to buy an EV will become about the power of choice (a positive reframing), not as it is for many people now, a decision based on how best they personally can overcome the many hurdles associated with ownership.
The majority of car drivers in the UK are not ‘petrol heads’, they care about what they drive to the extent that it gives them convenience, reliability and suits their lifestyle and needs.
From consumer interviews and research conducted, we still believe that there is more the car industry can do to provide more confidence in EVs, via training consumer facing dealership and car brand staff, to help educate and inform prospective new car buyers about the advantages and realities of electric vehicle usage and ownership.
For a motorist who hasn't bought a new car in the last 5+ years, everything has changed and many don’t necessarily know what they should be asking of sales teams. There is a huge role to play for the whole motoring industry to become educators, focused on relaying the positives of EVs, with in-depth, detailed product knowledge.
Additional Carwow Group research of 1010 respondents, conducted in August 2025, shows:
● 35% of UK drivers have never sat in an electric car
● 32% have only ever experienced one as a passenger
● 73% of drivers who have test-driven an EV say it made them more likely to switch
● 30% said “no pressure to commit” would most improve the test-drive experience
● 18% want the ability to compare multiple EV models side by side
This evidence suggests that limited access to meaningful, low-pressure test-drive opportunities remains an underappreciated barrier to adoption. Electric vehicles differ materially from petrol and diesel cars in driving feel, performance and ownership experience, making hands-on exposure particularly important for first-time EV buyers.
As the UK approaches the 2030 phase-out of new petrol and diesel car sales, expanding access to flexible, comparative and low-pressure EV test-drive experiences should be treated by OEMs and manufacturers as a practical confidence-building measure. Carwow Group has begun exploring this approach through initiatives such as Carwow Live, a free-to-attend test-drive event delivered for the first time in October 2025 in partnership with the manufacturer Chery, to give consumers direct experience of Chery’s plug-in hybrid vehicles outside of a traditional dealership setting.
Charging infrastructure and affordability
Charging infrastructure remains a critical confidence factor. Progress has been made through the Public Charge Point Regulations and LEVI funding, but further focus is needed on ultra-rapid charging and lower and more transparent pricing.
The charging infrastructure for EVs must develop to meet the 2030 target, by providing accurate information about chargepoint availability, especially on motorways. In France, for example, motorway service signs flag to motorists whether there’s a full charging station at that site; this should be replicated in the UK. On all public charge-points, signage must be improved so that consumers clearly know the cost per kWh and how powerful that EV charger is before they plug-in. The government must work hand-in-hand with third party providers to ensure that the infrastructure exists in more remote areas (such as motorway service stations) to enable the installation of high-powered, ultra-rapid charging stations giving all motorists confidence in the reliability and accessibility of the public charging network.
Mainstream awareness of charging infrastructure also needs to improve, not just in terms of availability but in how progress is communicated. While reliable, jargon-free information on EV charging is widely available, public understanding is often shaped by high-profile negative coverage that focuses on edge-case failures rather than typical user experience. This risks reinforcing hesitation among in-market consumers who might otherwise be ready to switch. Government and industry should therefore work more proactively with trusted consumer media to ensure that reporting reflects the full picture, including improvements in reliability, coverage and charging speeds, so that public discourse is grounded in current reality rather than outdated perceptions.
One of the ways in which Carwow has helped drive understanding of charging infrastructure is via our online tools, including our interactive EV charging map that helps drivers find the electric vehicle charging points nearest them, with additional FAQs on how much it can cost, how long it can take, and how different charging sockets work. The provision of additional, reliable public charging points with a range of charging speeds will mean that more positive experiences are heard by mass audiences.
Using charging to financially incentivise EV uptake
We believe that the government should take the opportunity to re-look at using public and private charging points to provide financial incentives for EV uptake, for instance:
● Drop the VAT applicable on public charging to better support those unable to charge at home. We continue to add our voice to those in our industry calling for this change; charging on the road is significantly cost-prohibitive. Drivers able to rely on charging at home are already benefiting somewhat from the government’s energy price cap guarantee. There’s also a VAT saving to be made with just 5% VAT applicable on home energy, compared to 20% VAT when using public chargers.
● Shift the perception that if you can’t charge at home, then EVs aren’t viable: The issue of urban charging requires a central-led, joined-up policy that local councils could attack together, be it lamppost charging, gulleys to allow people to safely run cables across pavement or more urban low-speed hubs where cars can be parked for free overnight to charge. The current perception amongst consumers is that if you can't charge at home, then EVs aren't a viable option, and that needs to be addressed urgently.
● Better incentivisation for at-home chargepoint installation - with EVs already having multiple barriers to purchase consideration for consumers, an additional hurdle is that motorists have to pay (on top of the purchase of leasing costs of the vehicle) in the region of £1,000 for a home-charging point to be installed. The original incentive which closed to house owners on 31 March 2022 gave grants of up to £350 towards the cost of having a home charger installed. It is now only open to people who own flats, and people in rented accommodation. While the idea to target EV uptake in densely populated urban areas is valid, targeting landlords or those living in leasehold flats will not help the UK reach wider targets for mass adoption while expanding this grant to include those in terraced homes (for example) would go much further towards that goal while still targeting urban regions.
● Create targeted charging incentives with social equity in mind - The Government could make charging infrastructure equitably dispersed with subsidised, low-cost charging available to those in lower income residential areas. This could be qualified by registered address/ postcode matching to the payment card ensuring that the scheme was targeted to those it was intended for.
This is significant for all motorists, but particularly first-time car buyers and younger drivers, for whom insurance already represents a substantial proportion of total ownership cost. For first-time car buyers and younger drivers, for whom insurance is already a significant cost component of ownership. For these cohorts, uncertainty around EV insurance can compound existing concerns about upfront cost, making petrol or hybrid vehicles feel like the lower-risk option even where running costs would favour electric.
There is an opportunity for Government, insurers and manufacturers to work more closely to provide clearer reassurance to consumers and insurers alike, including:
● Ensuring that insurance markets adapt at the same pace as vehicle innovation will be important to maintaining affordability and confidence as new EV makes and models continue to enter the market.
● improved data sharing on battery durability and repairability and
● clearer standards around battery warranties and repair costs.
Targeted reassurance in this area would directly support insurance affordability and help remove an often overlooked barrier to adoption.
i. What lessons should be learned from other countries' successes or setbacks?
Germany’s scheme differs from the UK’s in several material ways, reflecting different policy objectives and market contexts. This context helps explain the scale and speed of the initial consumer response, but also introduce important trade-offs:
- Eligibility scope: Germany’s scheme supports a wider range of vehicle types and household needs, including the continued inclusion of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs). While this reduces “fit risk” for households unsure whether a full battery-electric vehicle suits their lifestyle, it also reflects a more transitional approach to decarbonisation. PHEVs can play a role in easing consumers into electrification, but their real-world emissions performance depends heavily on charging behaviour, and they are concerns that they are less robust from a sustainability perspective when operated primarily on petrol. By contrast, the UK’s scheme is more tightly focused on battery-electric vehicles only, below a fixed price cap, providing a clearer long-term signal but narrowing short-term consumer choice.
- Targeting of support: Germany’s approach aims to improve social equity and signals that EVs are intended for the mass market, not just early adopters. The UK’s scheme is more simple, as a flat grant, with no income targeting.
- Grant value: Germany has higher effective support, reaching ~€6,000 subsidy for some households with children. A larger incentive will more clearly close the perceived price gap, and as such we could see it accelerating decision-making, rather than nudging consideration.
- Price cap design: Germany avoids a strict vehicle price cap, instead targeting support through household income thresholds. This prevents practical family cars from being excluded while ensuring the scheme is not disproportionately benefiting higher-income buyers.
Following the official announcement of the EV grant in Germany in mid-January 2026, Carwow Group observed an immediate shift in consumer behaviour:
● EV enquiries increased 243% week-on-week (or 73% of enquiry share by fuel-type)
● Petrol and diesel enquiries fell 13% over the same period;
● Year-on-year, EV enquiries rose 289%;
● Year-on-year, petrol and diesel enquiries declined 23%;
While this response demonstrates the impact of a large and inclusive incentive, it should also be understood in context. German consumers are more familiar with grant-based transition schemes, having experienced similar programmes for electric vehicles and household technologies such as heat pumps. This familiarity likely reduced friction and accelerated behavioural response, even where scheme mechanics were complex and industry implementation remains challenging.
The lesson for the UK is therefore not simply about scheme generosity or scope. It is that policy continuity and consumer familiarity matter. Repeated, well-signposted interventions build public understanding over time, making future schemes easier to absorb and act upon. Clear long-term direction, rather than one-off announcements, is what ultimately converts interest into mainstream adoption.
The evidence presented by Carwow Group shows that while the UK has made meaningful progress in stimulating interest in electric vehicles, interest alone is not yet translating into mass-market adoption among private buyers. Policy interventions to date have been effective at nudging behaviour and generating short-term spikes in engagement.
However, persistent concerns around upfront cost, charging access, policy stability and lack of first-hand experience continue to delay purchase decisions. To accelerate adoption at scale, Government and industry must move beyond incremental signals and focus on clear, sustained and confidence-building measures that address the realities of private EV ownership. Without this shift, many consumers will continue to wait rather than act, putting the pace of the transition at risk.
We welcomed this opportunity to share our user insights, experiences, and views.
- ENDS -
Carwow Group’s evidence combines this platform behavioural data with onsite and nationally representative survey research to understand consumer decision-making. While no single dataset can capture all drivers of EV adoption, the consistency of findings across multiple sources strengthens the conclusions presented. Where appropriate, figures are rounded and presented directionally to reflect underlying trends rather than precise point estimates.
January 2026
Endnotes
[1] Enquiries refers to the number of customer contacts our retailer partners receive, i.e. to ask further questions, book a dealership visit or test drive. Enquiries provide a very strong indicator of intent, as it reflects customers moving towards a purchase decision.
[2] A lead refers to a single Carwow customer contacting one (or more) of Carwow’s retailer partners listed on the platform (one lead is one user, and therefore could make multiple enquiries).
[3] Surveys were conducted on carwow.co.uk as follows - 11.08.25 - 2,506 respondents. 18.09.25 - 1,453 respondents. 21.01.26 - 604 respondents.
[4] Prices and volume correct at the time of writing - 29.01.26