AutoScout24

What AutoScout24 does

AutoScout24, founded in 1998 and headquartered in Munich, operates Europe's largest online automotive marketplace, connecting private buyers and sellers with professional car dealers across localized portals in Germany, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, France, and Luxembourg, and now extending into Canada via the 2024 TRADER Corporation acquisition. The platform hosts hundreds of thousands of vehicle listings and reports more than 40 million monthly users, monetizing primarily through tiered dealer advertising and subscription packages, with secondary revenue from private-seller premium upsells, transaction-linked financing via Smyle, and B2B wholesale trading through AUTOproff.

The product surface has expanded well beyond classified listings. The platform combines a marketplace with dealer SaaS (an AI-integrated dealer dashboard launched in October 2025), digital vehicle inspection tools, online purchase and home-delivery services (Smyle), a Switzerland private-to-dealer sales product (AutoScout24 Direct launched September 2024 in partnership with CarAuktion AG), an editorial content library (Automagazin), EV advisory tools (Elektroauto-Berater), and a free vehicle valuation tool. Acquired brands — AUTOproff (B2B wholesale, 2022), LeaseVergelijker (2022), AutoTrack and Gaspedaal.nl (Netherlands, December 2025), and TRADER Corporation (Canada, closing Q4 2024) — have been retained under their existing brands and integrated into a broader commerce ecosystem alongside affiliate LeasingMarkt.de.

The business model is a classic two-sided marketplace with a freemium consumer side and a subscription/advertising B2B side. AutoScout24 GmbH is the operating entity, majority-owned by private equity firm Hellman & Friedman, which has funded two disclosed rounds tied to acquisitions: a $200M transaction with AUTOproff in 2022 and a $100M incremental equity investment in 2024 to support the TRADER deal. Distribution is wholly digital — localized websites, iOS and Android apps, SEO, social media, and newsletter — with no physical retail footprint. Headcount sits in the 251-500 band, and the company is investing in dealer tooling, verticalized financial services, and cross-border consolidation rather than relying on user growth alone.

Name

AutoScout24

Legal name

AutoScout24 GmbH

Website

https://autoscout24.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AutoScout24 operates Europe's largest online automotive marketplace, connecting millions of private car buyers and sellers with a paid dealer network across eight European countries and, since 2024, Canada, while monetizing through dealer subscriptions, advertising, financing (Smyle), and B2B wholesale (AUTOproff).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Automotive Marketplace

NAICS

Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers (441), Automobile Dealers (4411), Automobile and Other Motor Vehicle Merchant Wholesalers (42311)

SIC

Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations (5500), Wholesale-Motor Vehicles & Motor Vehicle Parts & Supplies (5010)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive Vehicles & Parts C2C (CRAFAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Automotive Parts, Tires & Workshop Supplies Marketplaces (CRAFAHAD), Auto Refinance (FSAKADAB)

Keywords

• Online automotive marketplace
• Used car marketplace
• Vehicle classified listings
• Dealer advertising platform
• B2B vehicle trading

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Dealer Advertising & Listings: AutoScout24 generates revenue primarily from car dealers who pay for advertising and enhanced listing placement on the platform. Dealers can purchase various advertising tiers to increase visibility of their vehicle inventories.
2. Private Listings: Free listing marketplace for private sellers with premium upsell options for enhanced visibility. Private sellers can list vehicles for free but may pay for promoted placement.
3. Subscription Services for Dealers: Dealers pay subscription fees for access to dealer tools, analytics dashboards, and premium features. Belgian dealers faced approximately 20% price increases in late 2025.
4. Smyle Financing: Online car purchase service offering financing options, extending AutoScout24's revenue into financial services territory.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AutoScout24 operates Europe's largest online automotive marketplace, connecting private and professional vehicle sellers with buyers across 20+ countries. The platform aggregates new, used, and leased vehicle listings from dealers, leasing companies, and private sellers, and monetizes primarily through dealer subscriptions and advertising while offering ancillary B2B services (AUTOproff wholesale trading) and consumer direct-purchase (Smyle, AutoScout24 Direct) offerings.

Product overview

AutoScout24 is a pan-European online automotive marketplace operating as the largest online car market in Europe. The core product is the AutoScout24 Marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of new and used vehicles for both private individuals and dealers. The platform family includes AUTOproff (wholesale B2B vehicle trading acquired 2022), AutoScout24 Smyle (direct online car purchase with delivery), the AI-powered Dealer Dashboard (dealer management), Digital Inspection Tools (vehicle assessment), and AutoScout24 Direct (Switzerland private-to-dealer sales). Supporting services include an Automotive Magazine with tests and guides, an EV Advisor tool, and Vehicle Valuation tools. Internationally, the TRADER Corporation acquisition (August 2024) brought Canadian platforms AutoTrader.ca and AutoHebdo.net (~26M monthly visits), while December 2025 acquisitions added Netherlands-based AutoTrack and Gaspedaal.nl. Affiliated brands include LeasingMarkt.de. The platform serves Germany, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Spain, Luxembourg, and Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AutoProff: B2B platform for used vehicle trading and wholesale vehicle trading solutions for car dealers
• LeasingMarkt.de
• Smyle
• AutoScout24 Direct
• AutoScout24 Media

Products and services

• AutoScout24 Marketplace
• AUTOproff

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 million monthly users across the platform
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Automotive MediaVentions (AMV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2025AutoScout24 acquired Netherlands-based AutoTrack and Gaspedaal.nl from Automotive MediaVentions (AMV) in December 2025. The existing sites continue to operate under their current brands, expanding AutoScout24's presence in the Dutch automotive marketplace.
• CarAuktion AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024AutoScout24 Direct in Switzerland was launched in partnership with CarAuktion AG to connect private sellers with Switzerland's national dealer network. This partnership enables a hybrid marketplace model combining private seller listings with dealer accessibility.
• AUTOproffcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 March 2022AutoScout24 acquired a majority stake in AUTOproff, a European B2B platform for used vehicle trading, in Q1 2022. The acquisition enhances AutoScout24's capabilities by adding wholesale vehicle trading solutions for car dealers across Europe. AUTOproff operates as a separate platform under the AutoScout24 family.
• LeasingMarkt.decoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLeasingMarkt.de operates as a sister company within the AutoScout24 family, providing leasing comparison services for vehicles listed on the AutoScout24 platform. The partnership extends AutoScout24's services into vehicle leasing.
• TRADER CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTRADER Corporation is a Canadian company being acquired by AutoScout24 from Thoma Bravo, expected to close in Q4 2024. The acquisition includes AutoTrader.ca and AutoHebdo.net platforms (26 million monthly visits) plus dealer software solutions and credit services, marking AutoScout24's expansion into North America.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Mobile.de: Germany's largest online car marketplace and AutoScout24's most direct domestic competitor. Both platforms operate two-sided marketplaces for new and used vehicles with dealer subscription models, competing head-to-head for German dealer wallets and buyer traffic in DACH.
• Auto Trader UK: The UK's largest digital automotive marketplace owned by Cox Automotive. Operates the same dealer subscription and private listing model as AutoScout24 and is the closest UK analogue in terms of market leadership and revenue model.
• CarGurus: US-headquartered online car marketplace with growing UK and EU presence. Competes directly with AutoScout24 in dealer subscription listings and uses a similar dealer-tier advertising model.
• Cars.com: Leading US online automotive marketplace that connects car shoppers with sellers. Operates an analogous dealer subscription and advertising model with national coverage, comparable to AutoScout24's European footprint.
• Leboncoin: France's largest general classifieds platform (owned by Adevinta) with a strong automotive vertical. Competes with AutoScout24.fr for French private sellers and dealers using a similar freemium listing model.
• Subito: Italy's leading classifieds platform (owned by Adevinta) with a significant automotive vertical. Directly competes with AutoScout24.it for Italian private sellers and dealer listings in the same C2C/classifieds model.
• OLX: Global classifieds platform with significant automotive verticals across Europe and emerging markets. Competes with AutoScout24 in selected European countries (notably Portugal and parts of Eastern Europe) with a similar C2C marketplace model.

Emerging players

• Auto1 Group: European B2B/B2C online used car platform operating Autohero (retail) and AUTO1.com (B2B marketplace). Overlaps with AutoScout24's vehicle commerce layer, particularly with AUTOproff in B2B wholesale trading.
• Carwow: European online car marketplace focused on new car transactions through dealer bidding. Competes with AutoScout24 for buyer attention and dealer relationships, particularly in UK and Germany, with a transaction-led model.

Broad incumbents

• Cox Automotive / Manheim: Global automotive services conglomerate (parent of Auto Trader UK, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim auctions). Overlaps with AutoScout24's marketplace, dealer software, and auction/wholesale operations through its broad portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/AutoScout24
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/AutoScout24
• Facebookfacebook.com/autoscout24
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/autoscout24
• Instagraminstagram.com/autoscout24
• TikToktiktok.com/@autoscout24
• Pinterestpinterest.com/autoscout24

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A6 records

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AutoScout24