Motors.co.uk Cars for Sale
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Type motors.co.uk/used-cars into a browser today and you do not arrive at Motors. You get an HTTP 302 redirect to cazoo.co.uk/cars. That is the whole story in one line: the Motors brand was retired on 27 May 2026, and the business now trades solely as Cazoo.
The domain has not been switched off. It is being kept alive purely as a redirect until late 2026, which means old bookmarks, old links and old search results still function — they simply land somewhere else. After that window closes, they will not.
None of this was a failure. The company doing the redirecting is the one that bought the Cazoo name out of administration in June 2024 for around £5m and then decided the acquired brand had more consumer recognition than its own. Motors.co.uk Limited still exists as the legal entity — it just trades under a different name.
| Brand status | Retired 27 May 2026 — business now trades solely as Cazoo |
|---|---|
| Redirect | motors.co.uk/used-cars returns HTTP 302 to cazoo.co.uk/cars |
| Redirect lifespan | Domain kept alive as a redirect until late 2026 |
| Founded | 2007, by DMGT |
| Ownership | O3 Industries / Novum Capital, since 2021 |
| Rebrand history | Motors.co.uk to Motors in 2023; retired in 2026 |
| Cazoo brand acquired | June 2024, for around £5m, out of administration |
| Legal entity | Motors.co.uk Limited, trading as Cazoo |
| Network sites | MOTORS, eBay, Gumtree, Cazoo, Parkers — one dealer invoice |
| Buyer behaviour stat behind the network | Average car buyer visits 4.2 websites during a search |
| Dealer rate card | Not published — request current pricing direct |
| Where the stock is now | Cazoo — 300,000+ cars listed monthly from 6,000+ dealers |
27 May 2026: the date the name stopped being used
The switch was deliberate and complete. Every consumer-facing touchpoint moved to Cazoo on that date, and the reasoning was brand equity: Cazoo's spontaneous awareness among UK used-car buyers runs at around 60%, which the company's chief executive Barry Judge has claimed makes it the second best-known used car marketplace in Britain behind Auto Trader.
Motors, despite nearly two decades of trading, never got close to that. Buying a collapsed rival's name and then adopting it is an unusual move, but on the awareness numbers it is a rational one.
Practically, this means anything you read about Motors.co.uk written before mid-2026 describes a website that no longer serves customers. There is no separate Motors inventory, no separate Motors account and no separate Motors app.
From DMGT start-up to buying a failed unicorn's name
- 2007 — founded by DMGT, the Daily Mail and General Trust.
- 2021 — acquired by O3 Industries / Novum Capital, who remain the owners.
- 2023 — rebranded from "Motors.co.uk" to the shorter "Motors".
- June 2024 — buys the Cazoo brand out of administration for around £5m.
- 28 August 2024 — announces a partnership putting its stock on Parkers.
- April 2025 — relaunches Cazoo as a marketplace, app first, with over 250,000 listings.
- 27 May 2026 — retires the Motors brand entirely.
The arc is worth understanding because it explains the current shape of the market. Cazoo's 300,000+ monthly listings and 6,000+ dealers are Motors' listings and Motors' dealers, wearing a name that used to belong to a company that spent £400m and folded.
The one asset that survived intact: the five-site network
Motors' genuine differentiator was never its own website traffic. It was distribution. One dealer invoice bought advertising across MOTORS, eBay, Gumtree, Cazoo and Parkers — five destinations, one bill, one stock feed.
The pitch to dealers rested on a specific behavioural finding: the average car buyer visits 4.2 websites during a search. Rather than fight for the whole journey, the network aimed to be present at several points on it.
That network is untouched by the rebrand. It now sits under the Cazoo banner with one fewer destination in the list, and it remains the most distinctive thing about the group. It is also why searching Cazoo, Gumtree and Parkers as three separate exercises is largely wasted effort — you are looking at one pool three times.
Dealer pricing for the network is not published. No public rate card exists, so any dealer weighing it against Auto Trader's £2,994 monthly sector average should request current pricing directly.
What to do with an old bookmark, saved search or dealer account
For buyers:
- Old motors.co.uk links still resolve, but only until the redirect is retired in late 2026. Update anything you rely on now.
- Saved searches and alerts should be recreated on Cazoo. Do not assume they migrated silently.
- The cars you were watching are almost certainly still listed — same dealers, same stock, different domain.
For dealers:
- Your advertising contract sits with Motors.co.uk Limited, which still exists and still trades — under the Cazoo name.
- Placement across eBay, Gumtree and Parkers continues as before.
- Check that any of your own marketing, forecourt signage or website badges still pointing at Motors are updated before the redirect window closes.
Where this leaves you if you came here to search
There is no Motors.co.uk to review any more, so the honest recommendation is about where to go instead.
If you want the network stock in its proper home, go to Cazoo — 300,000+ listings monthly from 6,000+ dealers, free to search, with the caveat that Cazoo is a pure marketplace and all consumer protection rests with the selling dealer. If you want genuine breadth beyond that pool, Auto Trader runs entirely separate inventory at 457,000 average live cars. If you are selling rather than buying, Carwow charges the private seller nothing and runs a daily auction with 6,000+ bidding dealers.
Where it wins
- The redirect is clean and automatic — no listings or dealers were lost in the transition
- The multi-site network survives intact: one dealer package still covers eBay, Gumtree, Cazoo and Parkers
- Stock moved to a bigger, better-recognised brand with around 60% spontaneous awareness
- Motors.co.uk Limited remains the trading entity, so existing dealer contracts continue
- Old links keep working during the wind-down period, giving time to update bookmarks
Where it falls short
- The brand no longer exists — there is nothing left to compare on its own merits
- The redirect is temporary and scheduled to end in late 2026, after which old links break
- Buyers who trusted the Motors name are now transacting under a brand associated with a company that went into administration
- No published dealer rate card for the network, making cost comparison against Auto Trader impossible without a direct quote
- Network duplication means Cazoo, Gumtree and Parkers show substantially the same cars, so the apparent choice is smaller than it looks
Common questions
Has Motors.co.uk closed down?
The brand has been retired, not the business. Motors.co.uk Limited still exists and still trades, but as Cazoo. The website now redirects to cazoo.co.uk, and the domain is being maintained purely for that purpose until late 2026.
Why did Motors take the name of a company that went bust?
Brand recognition. Cazoo's spontaneous awareness among UK used-car buyers runs at around 60%, which the company claims puts it second only to Auto Trader. Motors never achieved comparable recognition in nearly two decades of trading, so the acquired name was judged the more valuable asset.
What happened to my saved searches and alerts?
Recreate them on Cazoo rather than assuming they transferred. The underlying stock is the same — same dealers, same cars — but you should set up alerts fresh on the new site and update any bookmarks before the redirect is switched off.
Do dealers still get eBay and Gumtree placement?
Yes. The multi-site network is the group's most distinctive product and it survived the rebrand intact. One dealer package still covers eBay, Gumtree, Cazoo and Parkers. Pricing is not published, so request a current quote directly.
Where should I search now instead?
Cazoo holds the same inventory, at 300,000+ cars listed monthly from 6,000+ dealers. For stock outside that pool, Auto Trader is the separate and larger option at 457,000 average live cars. If you are selling rather than buying, Carwow is free for private sellers.
Our verdict
There is no live Motors.co.uk to recommend or reject. The brand was retired on 27 May 2026, motors.co.uk/used-cars now returns a 302 redirect to cazoo.co.uk/cars, and the domain is being kept alive only until late 2026. Anyone who arrived here from an old bookmark should go straight to Cazoo, where the same 6,000+ dealers and 300,000+ monthly listings live, and should recreate any saved searches rather than assuming they carried over. Dealers who bought the multi-site network package still have it — coverage across eBay, Gumtree, Cazoo and Parkers is unchanged — but should ask for current pricing in writing, since no rate card is public. Buyers wanting inventory outside this pool need Auto Trader, and private sellers should use Carwow, which is free.
Figures were taken from each provider's own published terms on 15 August 2026. Variable rates can change at any time — confirm the current rate with the provider before applying.
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