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Auto Trader went on the offensive today, releasing figures which, it said, showed its continued dominance of the UK online classified market.
It said in an “increasingly noisy marketplace” it wanted to reassure dealers that spending money with Auto Trader was “good for business”.
The online classified market has become increasingly competitive with Sun Motors the latest to launch, following RAC Cars and AA Cars.
And Motors, under new owner Manheim, has made significant investment in its website, launching a high profile TV and marketing campaign.
Auto Trader released latest data from Experian Hitwise, which show that in January 2014 it received 51.2% of all UK automotive classified visits, up from 47.8% for the same month in 2013. It said other sites were far lower, citing motors.co.uk with a 3.5% market share.
It also published ComScore data which showed that the time spent researching a car purchase on Auto Trader had also increased compared to rivals.
Auto Trader cited figures for January 2014, which showed that visitors spent 94 minutes on autotrader.co.uk compared with nine and a half minutes for RAC Cars and under five for AA Cars.
“In the last year, many competitors have come to market while others have significantly increased their marketing spend,” said Jonathan Williams marketing director Auto Trader. “We welcome competition and are certainly not complacent about our leading position.
“Nevertheless, it is important that we reassure retailers in an increasingly noisy marketplace that their investment in Auto Trader is good for business,” he said.