Car Dealer Magazine

What Car Dealer Magazine does

Car Dealer Magazine is a UK-based digital trade publication serving the British motor retail sector. Founded in 2008 by editor-in-chief James Baggott and published by Blackball Media (which sits within the Baize Group, co-owned by Baggott and PA Media), the publication provides daily news, features, and analysis aimed primarily at UK car dealers (franchised, independent, and dealer groups), car manufacturers, motor trade suppliers, and workshops. Its content operations are built on a digital publishing stack comprising a website CMS, email newsletters, a Substack-hosted paid Weekly Briefing (£10/month or £100/year), a monthly digital magazine distributed via Issuu, two YouTube channels, a podcast on Spotify and Apple, WhatsApp breaking-news groups, and active social media accounts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The publication was issued in print for 145 editions before transitioning to a fully digital format in March 2020.

The company's product portfolio extends beyond news to include proprietary research and recognition products: the Car Dealer Top 100 annual ranking of the UK's most profitable dealers, the Power Awards manufacturer rankings based on dealer survey data, and the flagship Used Car Awards ceremony hosted by Mike Brewer at The Brewery in London. Additional offerings include the Car Dealer Live annual industry conference, Podcast Live, and supplier discovery products (CD Recommends and a Suppliers Guide). The go-to-market motion is event- and content-driven, with editorial coverage, awards programs, and conferences functioning as the primary audience engagement and revenue capture mechanisms.

Car Dealer Magazine operates a diversified B2B media revenue model. The largest economic streams are website, forum, and digital-magazine advertising together with event sponsorship (Car Dealer Live, Used Car Awards, Power Awards) sourced from motor trade suppliers and manufacturers. A smaller but strategically significant direct-revenue stream comes from the paid Weekly Briefing Substack subscription. Headcount sits in the 11-50 range, and the company is privately held with no public ticker. The business does not disclose revenue or funding, and there is no evidence of AI/ML capability in the product stack — the technology layer is conventional publishing infrastructure.

Name

Car Dealer Magazine

Legal name

Blackball Media

Website

https://cardealermagazine.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Car Dealer Magazine is a UK digital trade publication providing daily motor industry news, a monthly digital magazine, a paid Substack briefing, and flagship events (Used Car Awards, Car Dealer Live, Power Awards) for car dealers, manufacturers, and trade suppliers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Trade Media

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive & Transportation Magazines (MPAJAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

Keywords

• Motor trade news
• Automotive trade publishing
• Digital automotive media
• Industry events coverage
• Automotive journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Gosport

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital magazine publication and subscription: Monthly digital magazine published on Issuu platform, available free to read and download. Also offers premium Substack newsletter subscription at £10/month or £100/year for the Weekly Briefing.
2. Website and forum advertising: Large variety of advertising options on the busy website, on the Car Dealer Forum which boasts a huge number of active members, and in the digital issues of Car Dealer Magazine.
3. Event sponsorship: Events including Car Dealer Live, Used Car Awards, and Car Dealer Power Awards generate sponsorship revenue from motor trade suppliers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Car Dealer Magazine publishes daily UK motor trade news on its website, cardealermagazine.co.uk, for car dealers, manufacturers, workshops, and trade suppliers. It supplements the website with a monthly interactive digital magazine hosted on Issuu, the Weekly Briefing paid Substack newsletter, the Car Dealer Podcast, and an annual portfolio of live events and awards (Car Dealer Live conference, Used Car Awards, Car Dealer Power Awards, and Car Dealer Top 100 dealer ranking). Revenue is generated from website, forum and digital magazine advertising, paid newsletter subscriptions, and event sponsorship packages sold to motor trade suppliers.

Product overview

Car Dealer Magazine operates as a digital-first automotive trade publication offering a suite of content, events, and industry recognition products. The core offering is the Car Dealer Magazine website providing daily motor trade news, supplemented by a monthly digital magazine available via Issuu. The product portfolio includes the Car Dealer Podcast for audio content, the Car Dealer Live annual conference for industry engagement, Used Car Awards and Car Dealer Power Awards for industry recognition, the Car Dealer Top 100 research/ranking product, the Weekly Briefing Substack newsletter for time-poor executives, and CD Recommends and Suppliers Guide directories connecting dealers with service providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Used Car Awards: Annual awards ceremony for the used car sector, hosted by Mike Wheeler Dealer (Mike Brewer), held at The Brewery in central London.
• Car Dealer Power Awards
• Car Dealer Live
• Car Dealer Top 100
• Car Dealer Podcast
• Car Dealer Weekly Briefing

Products and services

• Car Dealer Magazine Website UK motor trade website at cardealermagazine.co.uk providing daily news and features for car dealers, manufacturers, workshops, and the wider automotive trade.
• Car Dealer Digital Magazine Monthly interactive digital magazine published since March 2020, available for free reading and download via the Issuu platform, featuring automotive industry news, car reviews, and dealer profiles.
• Car Dealer Podcast Weekly podcast covering the latest motor trade news, industry interviews, and automotive market analysis, distributed via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
• Car Dealer Live Conference Annual automotive industry conference bringing together dealers, manufacturers, and suppliers for discussions on industry trends, digital strategies, and networking, with the companion Podcast Live event.
• Used Car Awards Annual awards ceremony recognising excellence in the used car industry, with categories for dealers, sales teams, websites, and vehicles, hosted by Mike Brewer at The Brewery in London.
• Car Dealer Power Awards Annual manufacturer ranking awards based on dealer feedback, recognising car manufacturers across multiple categories including Car of the Year.
• Car Dealer Top 100 Annual ranking of the UK's most profitable car dealers, providing industry benchmarking and dealer performance data.
• Weekly Briefing Newsletter Weekly email newsletter by editor James Baggott summarising the week's most important motor trade headlines, published via Substack at £10 per month or £100 per year.
• CD Recommends Supplier directory and recommendation guide for motor trade professionals to find vetted service providers and partners.
• Suppliers Guide Directory of motor trade suppliers and service providers organised by category for dealer reference.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Blackball MediacoreOthersBlackball Media is the publishing company that owns Car Dealer Magazine. It is part of the Baize Group, which is part owned by PA Media (the national news agency) and James Baggott. The group offers PR services to the automotive industry, video solutions, and consumer-facing motoring editorial.
• Baize GroupcoreOthersBaize Group is the parent company of Blackball Media. James Baggott is CEO of Baize Group. The group includes Blackball Media, PR services for automotive industry, and video solutions for motoring clients.
• IssuucoreTechnology or IntegrationIssuu is the digital magazine hosting and distribution platform used by Car Dealer Magazine for publishing its monthly digital issues.
• SubstackcoreTechnology or IntegrationSubstack is used to host and distribute the Car Dealer Weekly Briefing newsletter by editor James Baggott.
• PA MediaminorOthersPA Media (Press Association) is a co-owner of the Baize Group, which owns Blackball Media and Car Dealer Magazine.
• Mike BrewerflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMike Wheeler Dealer himself, Mike Brewer is the host of the annual Car Dealer Used Car Awards, which is presented at a glittering ceremony in London each November.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Autocar: Long-established UK automotive publication with deep news, reviews, and industry coverage; reaches a similar audience tier but skews more consumer/ enthusiast, with broader advertiser base.
• Auto Express: One of the UK's largest weekly car magazines with a strong digital news operation and historical ties to several Car Dealer Magazine editorial staff; competes for the same UK automotive advertising pound at greater scale.
• What Car?: Established UK automotive review and buying-advice publication; comparable content format with overlapping advertiser ecosystem and broader consumer reach.

Others

• Parkers: UK automotive reviews and news site covering new and used cars; comparable consumer-facing content product that competes for UK automotive mind share and digital ad budgets.
• CarGurus UK: UK arm of the global car marketplace with significant editorial content around dealer trends, pricing, and reviews; serves as both a marketplace competitor and a content/discovery channel that diverts dealer attention from trade titles.
• Carwow: Online new and used car marketplace that has built a significant editorial/news footprint covering the motor trade; operates as both a competitive content source and a notable dealer ecosystem participant.
• Auto Trader: UK's largest used car marketplace with a substantial editorial/news arm that increasingly covers dealer industry topics; both a potential content competitor and a key customer/advertiser for Car Dealer Magazine.

Direct peers

• Motor Trader: UK motor trade trade title covering dealer news, industry trends, and supplier advertising; directly comparable niche vertical with overlapping advertiser base and dealer readership.
• AM Online (Automotive Management): AM Online is the UK's other leading motor trade trade publication, providing news, analysis, and supplier content targeted at UK franchised and independent car dealers — the most direct head-to-head competitor for Car Dealer Magazine's core audience and advertiser base.

Regional players

• Automotive News: US-headquartered but globally distributed automotive trade news publication; comparable editorial model targeting industry professionals, though focused on the North American market rather than the UK dealer ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CarDealerMag
• YouTubeyoutube.com/cardealermagazine
• Facebookfacebook.com/CarDealerMagazine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/car-dealer-magazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/baizeceo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 Car Dealer Magazine