Livery Dole

What Livery Dole does

Livery Dole is an independent, employee-owned car dealership based in Exeter, Devon, tracing its origins to 1923. The business is operated through Motachase Limited, an employee ownership trust structure, and operates from a single site with 1–10 employees. It holds main dealer franchises for Subaru, Isuzu, GWM (Great Wall Motors), and Microlino, and additionally positions itself as a Mitsubishi specialist, giving it a deliberately niche, multi-brand portfolio rather than a mass-market franchise line-up.

The dealership's revenue model combines new vehicle sales, used vehicle sales (stock spanning approximately £5,799 to £64,999), manufacturer warranty servicing, MOT testing, EV and hybrid specialist work including high-voltage battery replacement, vehicle finance brokering, and participation in the Motability Scheme. Finance brokering is supported by a compliance partnership with The Compliance Guys Ltd to meet FCA credit broker requirements. The customer base is fragmented across private retail buyers, Motability participants, and local businesses in the Devon catchment.

Strategic posture is conservative and adaptive: the business has existed for over a century and is actively repositioning toward the EV transition through new franchise additions (Microlino, GWM) and electrified servicing capability, while maintaining traditional ICE workshop and used car operations. There is no evidence of geographic expansion, acquisitions, or external funding; the business appears to grow organically from its single Exeter site.

Name

Livery Dole

Legal name

Motachase Limited

Website

https://liverydole.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Livery Dole is an independent, employee-owned car dealership in Exeter, UK, operating as a main dealer for Subaru, Isuzu, GWM, and Microlino, plus a Mitsubishi specialist. It serves private buyers, Motability customers, and local businesses with new and used vehicle sales, servicing, MOT, EV/hybrid specialist work, and finance brokering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Exeter

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Vehicle Sales: Sales of new vehicles (franchised brands: Subaru, Isuzu, Microlino, GWM, Mitsubishi) and used vehicles across multiple brands
2. Servicing and Repairs: In-house workshop providing routine servicing, mechanical repairs, MOT testing, and manufacturer warranty work
3. Finance Services: Credit broker services arranging vehicle finance; acts as intermediary with credit providers
4. Commercial Vehicles: Sales and servicing of commercial vehicles including pickups and vans

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Livery Dole is an independent employee-owned car dealership in Exeter, Devon, selling new Subaru, Isuzu, GWM, Microlino and Mitsubishi specialist vehicles alongside a broad used-vehicle inventory. It runs an in-house workshop providing manufacturer-level servicing, MOT testing, warranty work and EV/hybrid specialist services, and offers FCA-regulated vehicle finance brokerage acting as an Appointed Representative of The Compliance Guys Ltd (FRN 452664).

Product overview

Livery Dole is an independently owned car dealership established in 1923, operating as a main dealer for Subaru, Isuzu, GWM (Great Wall Motors), and Microlino, with Mitsubishi specialist status. The company offers new and used vehicle sales across multiple brands including Subaru, Kia, Volkswagen, Fiat, MINI, Alfa Romeo, Ford, Mazda, BMW, Dodge, Suzuki, Vauxhall, Skoda, Citroen, and more. Their product portfolio spans SUVs (Subaru Outback, Forester, Solterra; Kia Soul; Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross), hatchbacks (Fiat 500, MINI Electric, Volkswagen Polo), coupes, convertibles, estates, MPVs, and commercial vehicles including pickups and vans. Beyond vehicle sales, Livery Dole provides comprehensive aftersales services including brand-specific servicing, MOT testing, EV and hybrid specialist work with battery replacement, warranty coverage, vehicle finance brokering, and convenience services such as collection and delivery. They also participate in the Motability Scheme for customers with disabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Subaru new vehicle sales

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100+ 5-star reviews on Autotrader and Google (4.8 rating)

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IsuzucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMain Dealer for Isuzu vehicle sales and service in Exeter and Devon region
• SubarucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMain Dealer for Subaru vehicle sales and aftersales service
• MicrolinocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMain Dealer for Microlino electric microcar sales and service
• GWM UK (Great Wall Motors)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMain Dealer for GWM UK (Great Wall Motors) vehicle sales and GWM UK Service Centre for aftersales
• MitsubishicoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMitsubishi specialist offering vehicle sales and servicing; Mitsubishi Service partner
• The Compliance Guys LtdminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFCA-authorised firm acting as Appointed Representative for Livery Dole's credit broker activities under FCA No. 941360

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Lookers: Major UK multi-franchise dealer group with a national footprint across volume and premium brands and full aftersales. Same franchised dealership category as Livery Dole but operating at significantly larger scale.
• Marshall Motor Group: One of the UK's largest multi-franchise dealer groups with broad OEM coverage and full aftersales capability. Significantly larger than Livery Dole but operates the same franchised dealer model across multiple UK regions.
• Inchcape UK: International automotive distributor and retailer with UK franchised dealerships across multiple premium and volume brands. Comparable multi-brand UK dealer activity at much greater scale and capital base.
• JCT600: Privately held UK multi-franchise dealer group founded in Yorkshire with a strong regional multi-site presence. Comparable in multi-brand franchising and aftersales breadth, but operates at materially larger scale than Livery Dole.
• Snows Motor Group: Southern England-based multi-franchise dealer group with multiple brand franchises and aftersales. Comparable in regional UK franchised retail focus, though operating across multiple sites rather than a single showroom.
• Vertu Motors: AIM-listed UK multi-franchise dealer group with broad volume and premium brand coverage. Same franchised retail model and aftersales mix as Livery Dole but at substantially larger scale and listed-company governance.
• Pentagon Motor Group: UK multi-franchise dealer group with volume-brand coverage and integrated aftersales. Comparable franchised retail business model with multi-site presence materially exceeding Livery Dole's single showroom.
• Hendy Group: Family-owned multi-franchise dealer group based on the South Coast of England with multiple brands and full servicing. Comparable in multi-brand model and southern English regional focus, though substantially bigger than Livery Dole.

Direct peers

• Motorline Group: UK multi-franchise car dealer group holding Subaru and several other franchises. Most directly comparable in business model (multi-brand franchised dealer with workshop servicing) and a closer size/structure benchmark than the publicly listed national groups.
• Vospers Motor Group: Long-established, family-run multi-franchise dealer group headquartered in the South West of England. Closely comparable regional footprint, multi-brand franchised model, and full sales/servicing/MOT proposition targeting the same Devon/South West catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/liverydole
• Facebookfacebook.com/liverydole
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/livery-dole-mitsubishi

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Livery Dole