Dealers may need to put specification, price and availability at the heart of their sales messages as motorists increasingly compare cars in the same way they shop for consumer products on Amazon.
Vehicle Data Global (VDG) believes this feature-led approach is weakening traditional brand loyalty and giving unfamiliar manufacturers an opportunity to compete immediately for buyers’ attention.
For dealerships, the shift increases the importance of clear digital merchandising and simple like-for-like comparisons covering equipment, electric range, charging performance, warranty and finance.
Car buyers shop by features
VDG reached its conclusions after examining the changing fortunes of car brands over two decades.
Between 2015 and 2025, Ford fell from first to third place in the UK market while Vauxhall dropped from second to 13th. Registrations declined by 64% and 70% respectively.
Volkswagen, which led the market in 2025, registered almost 20% fewer cars than it had in 2015. Fiat and Citroen recorded declines of 85% and 75% respectively, according to VDG.
The five leading marques collectively accounted for 43.9% of registrations in 2015 but only 32% in 2025. Over the most recent five-year period, new Chinese entrants increased their presence tenfold.
VDG said this did not necessarily mean motorists had fallen out of love with established badges. Instead, it reflected a wider change in how customers research and compare purchases before visiting a dealership.
Ben Hermer, operations director at VDG, said: “Car buyers are increasingly applying their online shopping habits, in buying electronics and household products from unfamiliar online brands on Amazon, to their car buying process.”
The transition to electric vehicles has accelerated the trend because models can be compared using clearly defined attributes including range, charging speed, battery capacity, screen technology and driver assistance systems.
Hermer said: “Electric cars lend themselves particularly well to feature comparisons in the same way that household and other consumer products are assessed on Amazon, with buyers keen to compare range, charging speed, battery capacity and features like cabin screen quality and driver-assistance equipment alongside the traditional warranty length and finance terms.
“This has favoured Chinese manufacturers who came from an existing culture of providing long lists of standard features and benefits as basic, compared with the established manufacturers who tended to bundle many of their most advanced features into paid-for option packs.
“Facing several years of increased living costs, car buyers now increasingly favour Chinese manufacturers who tend to provide long equipment lists and exciting technological features as standard.
“Cars are increasingly becoming bundles of searchable features, which for some buyers might be more important than longstanding engineering pedigree, handling character and brand history. So the Amazon-style research process has geared many consumers to instantly eye-catching promises, such as ‘360-degree camera included'”.
VDG pointed to Omoda and Jaecoo as examples of once unfamiliar names gaining rapid recognition, pointing out how the brands had progressed to 100,000 sales in less than two years.
It said the proliferation of brands could also make the market harder for buyers and dealers to navigate because many products share parent companies, platforms, battery suppliers and technology. Omoda and Jaecoo are owned by Chery while Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and several newer marques form part of the wider Geely group.
Where established brands still win
For dealers representing established manufacturers, VDG’s analysis suggests the strongest response is to combine clearer feature and value comparisons with the areas in which longer-established networks retain an advantage.
These include managing used vehicle supply, protecting residual values, providing dependable parts and aftersales support and operating mature logistics networks.
Dealership teams may also need to be ready to explain the differences between apparently independent brands and provide reassurance about long-term support, parts availability and resale values.
Hermer said: “Although it appears at first sight that car brands are proliferating, they are typically originating from widely shared technology and a relatively small number of platforms, battery manufacturers and parent companies.”
Hermer added: “None of this means that the game is over for the traditional automotive giants, who are still adjusting to the new conditions. Just as Amazon’s marketplace is characterised by very rapid entry, intense price competition and frequent disappearance of products, we believe that not all of the current Chinese brands will necessarily achieve the scale needed to maintain long-term success.
“The market is complex and expertise in managing the used market, residual values, parts supply and logistics chains is where the historically big names still have a real advantage.”
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