Motors

Cazoo has promoted Lucy Tugby to the position of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). In her new role, working closely with dealer partners and internal stakeholders, she will lead the next phase of Cazoo’s challenger marketing strategy. Tugby joined the business in 2019 and led the transition from eBay ownership to Motors and managed the rebranding of Motors to Cazoo which will complete on 27 May.

Electric vehicle (EV) consideration has reached a record high with nearly one in four buyers expecting to make the switch in the next purchasing cycle. Research for the latest Cazoo & Motors Consumer Insight Panel, polling the views of over 2,000 buyers, found 24% expect their next car to be an EV, up from 21% as recently as January. Hybrids are also a popular option among buyers, with 31% saying they expect to purchase one. While 45% of buyers are considering an ICE car, down from 47% in January.

Cazoo has appointed Thomas Orthgiess to the role of Chief Product Officer (CPO), marking the first senior leadership appointment since Motors announced it will rebrand as Cazoo on 26 May. Having amassed considerable senior-level experience in the sector, Orthgiess joins from La Centrale, which became one of France’s leading automotive marketplaces during his tenure as CPO, where he played a key role in evolving the product offering and creating greater value for dealer partners and car buyers.

Used car prices strengthened in April as stock levels and days to sell remained stable, according to the latest Cazoo Market View. Average prices increased for the first time this year rising 0.8% (£149) to £17,696, a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 1%. The upward movement was driven mostly by a 3.5% price increase for cars aged up to two years to £29,679. Continued demand for older cars prompted a 1.3% increase in prices for cars aged over 10 years (£7,515).

Motors is rebranding its advertising business as Cazoo on 27 May and will close its website later this year, following the transition of any remaining traffic to Cazoo. The consolidation to a single platform is underway with a phased migration to maintain traffic and protect lead volumes. The Cazoo brand was acquired by Motors in 2024 and relaunched as a used car marketplace, with high brand awareness making it a popular destination for in-market buyers.

Cazoo, the used car marketplace, has launched the UK’s first ChatGPT app for car searches. The app was developed by Cazoo’s in-house team to provide a conversational AI search tool to replace traditional search filters. Buyers can use the app within ChatGPT to specify their vehicle requirements (eg family-size car, five-doors, under £15,000, within a 20 mile radius) and receive tailored recommendations from over 250,000+ live Cazoo listings.

The war in the Middle East is having a direct impact on car purchasing decisions, with some buyers citing it as a reason to delay their next purchase, according to Cazoo & Motors research. The latest Consumer Insight Panel survey was conducted in March, three weeks after hostilities started, and polled the views of 2,008 car buying decision makers. It found 38% are delaying their next purchase, with more than half (56%) attributing uncertainty over the war as one of their reasons.

March was a strong month for used car sales as days to sell improved and prices continued to dip, according to Cazoo & MOTORS’ Market View. Car supermarkets sold 24% more stock month-on-month (MoM) and 25% more year-on-year (YoY), while franchised dealers were up 17% MoM and 7% YoY. Independent sales rose 7% MoM, although they declined -8% YoY.

Car buyers are willing to travel an average of 48 miles to view and potentially purchase a vehicle, according to research by MOTORS & Cazoo. The latest Consumer Insight Panel polled the views of 2,001 car buyers to identify the furthest distances they were prepared to travel for the right car. Only 10% expect to restrict themselves to a 10 mile radius. Most will travel further afield, including: 11-20 miles (15%), 21-30 miles (17%), 31-40 miles (11%), 41-50 miles (18%) and 51-100 miles (17%).

MOTORS & Cazoo has appointed Chris Lockley to the new position of Director of Analytics and Insights. Lockley has extensive analytics experience in the automotive sector having held senior leadership roles at Cinch, BCA and Jaguar Land Rover. An inductee of the DataIQ 100 list of the most influential professionals in data-driven businesses, Lockley joins from AMS where he was Data Strategy Director.