Carwow raises £41m investment to drive further growth
CARWOW has raised £41m investment in a new funding round to accelerate its growth across the UK, Germany and Spain.
The funding round was led by global venture capital firm Bessemer Venture Partners. Bessemer includes a diverse range of companies in its investment portfolio, including LinkedIn and Shopify, and has been joined in this latest investment round by a number of Carwow’s existing investors including Accel, Balderton, Episode 1 and Vitruvian.
Carwow says that over 10m customers have used Carwow to help them buy and sell cars since the business’s inception, and last year nearly £3bn worth of cars were bought through the platform while £1.8bn of cars were listed for sale through its Sell My Car (SMC) service.
The Carwow Group includes the Carwow online marketplace, Auto Express, evo, Driving Electric and Carbuyer.
Alphabet appoints new Chief Sales Officer
LEASING company and broker funder Alphabet has appointed a new Chief Sales Officer: Ian Turner (above).
Ian joins from ALD Automotive where he was a board member from April 2013 (Corporate Sales Director) and later took the appointment of Sales & Marketing Director in December 2019.
In his new role at Alphabet, Ian is tasked with providing smart and effective ways for customers to operate their fleets, both now and in the future. He will be responsible for shaping Alphabet’s sales team, strategy and pipeline.
Commenting as Alphabet (GB)’s new Chief Sales Officer, Ian said: “I am delighted to join Alphabet. It’s a well-established, high performing, multi-make mobility business in the UK and Europe.
“Being part of the BMW Group, which is a powerhouse in the automotive industry, Alphabet is an innovative organisation and well-placed to support customers through critical market megatrends; whether it be the transition to electrification, digitisation, or providing new product and services to offer customers greater flexibility.
“I believe data is key to how we can support this transition and consequently support customers to make informed decisions.“
Northgate launches Northgate Cars
NORTHGATE – regularly known for its van rental and flexi rental offering – is launching a new business rental solution called Northgate Cars.
Northgate says it plans to offer a wide range of cars on a seven day plus hire basis which customers can take as a bolt-on addition to existing LCV fleets on a flexible rental basis. allowing businesses to manage their needs for passenger vehicles from as little as seven days.
Northgate Cars will be overseen nationally by Key Account Manager, Debbie Wallace (above left), who joins Northgate from Europcar Mobility Group where she was Head of SME.
Commenting on the new business, Debbie said: “Fleets of all sizes experience peaks and troughs in demand, and while this is catered for with LCV fleets under our highly flexible van hire contracts, with Northgate Cars, passenger vehicles can now be added when needed.”
Used monthly electric van sales pass 1,000 for the first time
April 2026 was the strongest month ever recorded for used electric van sales in the UK, according to MarketCheck
Charging remains biggest barrier to EV adoption for fleets – Arval
Many fleets still believe there are insufficient public chargers according to the 2026 Arval Mobility Observatory Barometer
P+B in new partnership to help businesses improve their vehicle strategies
Pike+Bambridge has announced a new partnership with The CFO Centre UK, which supplies part-time Chief Financial Officers
Anxiety around EV residuals is evaporating, reports Cazana
Cazana says that consistent demand and strategic pricing have kept recent residual values robust, with EVs leading the charge
Steve Cocks receives Funder of the Year trophy from BVRLA’s Toby Poston
Steve Cocks was presented with the Lex Autolease Funder of the Year trophy at the BVRLA Committee Summit by BVRLA CEO Toby Poston
VWFS and Kwik Fit Fleet agree tyre partnership
VOLKSWAGEN Financial Services (VWFS) is partnering with Kwik Fit Fleet, which will manage the tyre requirements of the VWFS fleet
Ralph Morton is the leading journalist in the leasing broker sector and editor of Broker News, the website which provides information and news for BVRLA-registered leasing brokers. He also writes extensively on the fleet and leasing market in both the UK and Europe.
