Auto Trader & JCT600: Partners for over 30 years

If you’re using AutoTrader to help you find your next car (or sell your current one), this page outlines everything you need to know.

As the largest digital automotive marketplace in the UK, AutoTrader is one of our most trusted online platforms for advertising cars – we’ve been partners with them for over 30 years.

If you’d prefer to save time and buy a car directly through one of our dealerships, then start your search with us today. 

Buying a car through AutoTrader: What you need to know

JCT600 are trusted partners of 22 of the world’s best car brands, and with stock from many other manufacturers, there’s a good chance we’ll have a perfect car for you right here. But we understand that you may wish to broaden your search – AutoTrader is a great place to start.

Performing a search

When searching for new and used cars on AutoTrader, you can:

• Filter by specific requirements such as mileage, engine size, number of seats and acceleration
• Save cars for easy reference or comparison
• Sort by price, distance, model, age and more*
• Check a car’s basic history for free through Experian
• Receive an insurance quote through Compare the Market

*Sponsored listings are always displayed first by default; you can change this by selecting the ‘Sort by’ drop-down menu.

Reviewing the search results

To spot the difference between trade and private sellers on AutoTrader, just look for the dealership logos at the bottom right of each listing when your search results load – if it’s blank, that means it’s a private seller. If you’re looking to buy your next car on finance, buying from a private seller may not be the right route for you. Why not read our guides on how to finance a car?

You may also notice that some listings on AutoTrader are marked with labels such as ‘good price’ or ‘great price’. To receive these labels, these cars have been price-checked against the market value for similar cars.

Selling your car on AutoTrader

If you decide that you’d like to sell your car privately, then AutoTrader is a safe and reliable place to do this. Not only do you have the potential to receive a lot of visits to your advert, but you’ll also have greater control over the information that’s displayed than some of the alternatives.

If you wish to save time and sell your car with ease, then selling through a JCT600 dealership may be a more practical option.

AutoTrader FAQs

How do I compare cars on AutoTrader?

If you wish to easily compare features such as price, age, car type and mileage, then you can save cars to compare within AutoTrader.

Simply visit the adverts of the cars that you wish to compare and select ‘Save & compare’. By navigating to the heart icon in the main menu, you can view all your favourites in one place and compare their features side by side.

How do I leave a dealer review on AutoTrader?

If you wish to leave a review for a JCT600 dealership, then all you need to do is select ‘Find a car dealer’ from the main menu and navigate to your nearest dealership page. From here, you can write and read other reviews.

What does franchise mean on AutoTrader?

A franchised dealership – like JCT600 – is one that sells new and used cars for manufacturers. The name of the manufacturer (i.e. Audi) is almost always included in the dealership’s name.

What does Cat D mean on AutoTrader?

When using AutoTrader, you may notice that some used cars are listed under different categories. These categories refer to the level of damage that a car has acquired.

Cat D cars have been classified as uneconomical to repair but without any structural damage.

On the other hand, Cat C cars are those that have acquired structural damage. For cars that have been classified after 1 October 2017, cat C is referred to as cat S and cat D as cat N.

Tips on buying a used car

When choosing to purchase a car through an online marketplace like AutoTrader, there are several things that you should consider – especially when viewing private adverts.

See before you buy

Firstly, we recommend that you never buy a car without seeing it first. Make sure to always check for the Vehicle Registration Mark and Vehicle Identification Number.

At JCT600, we offer a free Home Test Drive service. Not only will we bring the car to your home or work, but you’ll also have the option to test drive more than one car. With private sellers and many other dealer groups, this service won’t be available.

Review any paperwork

When buying a car, you should always review the necessary paperwork, such as the service history and MOT certificate to check things such as the mileage covered.

Understand your rights

When purchasing privately, your rights will always be different compared to if you choose to buy through a dealer group.. For example, you could claim under the Misrepresentation Act if a private seller’s information is misrepresented, but you won’t be protected by the Consumer Rights Act as you would be through JCT600.

Prefer to buy through JCT600?

Start your search for your next car below.