Amazon Joins The Used-Car Game: What UK Dealers & Brokers Should Learn

✔️ What Amazon Is Doing
✔️ Why UK Operators Should Care (Even If Amazon Never Launches Here)
✔️ What To Copy Now: A Practical Playbook For UK Dealers & Brokers
✔️ Implications For Brokers & Lenders
✔️ Will Amazon Launch Used-Car Checkout In The UK?
✔️ What Marsh Finance Can Do For Partners

Amazon has started selling used and certified pre-owned cars on its U.S. marketplace through Amazon Autos, partnering first with franchise dealers and Hertz Car Sales. It’s early days and U.S.-only for now, but when a platform with Amazon’s reach experiments in retailing second-hand cars, UK operators should pay attention.

The real story isn’t “Will Amazon come here tomorrow?” It’s how their model may reshape buyer expectations, on speed, checkout, finance, and handover, long before they cross the Atlantic.

What Amazon Is Doing

• Expanding from new to used/CPO: After piloting new-car e-commerce with Hyundai, Amazon Autos now lists used and certified pre-owned inventory from participating U.S. dealers. The launch started in Los Angeles, with more cities to follow. Buyers can browse, finance, and transact on Amazon and then collect from the dealer. Private sellers are not part of the platform.

• Hertz partnership: Hertz Car Sales integrated thousands of cars into Amazon Autos. The rollout began in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Seattle and will eventually span all 45 Hertz Car Sales locations. Buyers complete the purchase online and collect the cars locally within 3 days. Source: (https://newsroom.hertz.com/uncategorizeds/uncategorized-details/hertz-car-sales-launches-on-amazon-autos)

• Dealer-listed inventory only: Amazon isn’t a peer-to-peer classifieds site; it’s a checkout layer plus discovery. The pitch: Amazon traffic + Prime-like convenience with the dealer as the fulfilment partner.

• Narrative in the trade press: U.S. coverage frames this as a serious push; industry newsletters note the market impact (Hertz shares up, rivals dipped on the news). Source: (https://www.cbtnews.com/amazon-adds-hertz-inventory-to-its-growing-online-car-marketplace/)

Why UK Operators Should Care (Even If Amazon Never Launches Here)

1. One-screen checkout expectations

   Amazon is training shoppers to buy, finance, and arrange pickup without the ping-pong of emails or calls. That expectation will bleed into UK buyer behaviour via osmosis; customers will ask: “Why can’t I do it in one step?”

2. Dealer as fulfilment, not friction

   The U.S. model keeps dealers front-and-centre for collection, reconditioning, and aftersales, but strips out the slow steps. UK dealers that copy the “fast lane” (deposit, finance, ID&V, pick-up slot) will convert more high-intent traffic, regardless of the lead source.

3. Marketplace-grade merchandising

   Amazon pages demand consistent photos, specs, condition and warranty blocks. That standard will become table stakes across all portals. If your VDPs look messy next to marketplace-style listings, you’ll lose potential customers on the first scroll.

4. F&I displacement risk and opportunity

   U.S. analysts warn that marketplace checkout could siphon F&I attach if dealers don’t control the upsell moments. The counter is to build transparent, click-to-add protection bundles (warranty, service plan, GAP) right inside your digital flow.

What To Copy Now: A Practical Playbook For UK Dealers & Brokers

1) Build a true “Buy Online” lane (not just an enquiry form)

• One page that handles: deposit, soft credit check, full application, e-sign docs, and pick-up slot.
• Keep compliance clean: representative example, APR, total amount payable, and plain-English disclosures.
• Let the buyer complete the journey without a phone call unless they ask.

2) Make your VDPs marketplace-proof

• Mandatory shots: 20+ images including tyres, brake, bolsters, two keys, service book, and latest MOT/NCT.
• Condition & reconditioning box: what you’ve replaced, inspection highlights, warranty basics.
• Instant monthly (HP or PCP) above the fold with finance soft-search; show the total finance payable.
• Two click-to-callouts: “Reserve now” and “Pick-up in 72 hours”, where possible, Amazon/Hertz promise a 3-day turnaround.

3) Treat collection like last-mile logistics

• Offer two pick-up slots at checkout.
• Pre-load paperwork: handover takes minutes, not hours.
• A simple “5-minute handover” video reassures buyers and cuts no-shows.
  This “fulfilment” mindset is exactly how Amazon frames the dealer role.

4) Protect the back-end (F&I) in a click-first world

• Present Good, Better, and best protection bundles during checkout (clear pricing, what’s covered, and monthly add-on).
• Don’t hide GAP or service plans; show their value (e.g., tyre/brake costs, roadside assistance, courtesy car) and keep them selectable online.
• Make it easy to review on mobile; most Amazon-hardened shoppers buy on phones.

5) Get serious about attribution and SLA

• Track calls and forms per source; if marketplaces drive ready-to-buy leads, staff to a 10-minute reply SLA during hours and a 30-second SMS for missed calls.
• Treat abandoned carts like e-commerce: nudge with an SMS link to resume finance or finish checkout.

Implications For Brokers & Lenders

• Brokers: Be the instant-decision layer behind dealer checkout. Expose soft-search APIs and ensure your underwriting can support same-session approvals.
• Lenders: Marketplace models compress the window to “yes.” Fast decisions and clear near-prime routes will win more tickets without discounting the car.
• Risk: Keep an eye on return rates. A faster front end needs rock-solid condition disclosure and cooling-off clarity.

Will Amazon Launch Used-Car Checkout In The UK?

At this stage, no official UK launch has been announced. But if it’s successful in the US, it’ll definitely cross the Atlantic. Amazon’s 72-hour sales cycle gives you a blueprint to future-proof your site. If Amazon (or any large marketplace) does arrive here, you’ll already be operating at their standard.

Trade coverage suggests momentum is real: Amazon says used cars are the “next biggest milestone” in its auto program. The Hertz tie-in broadened inventory rapidly.

What Marsh Finance Can Do For Partners

Whether or not Amazon ever flips the switch here, the winning journey looks the same:

• Soft-search from visitor to pre-qualified in seconds (no credit-file fear)

• Fast HP & PCP decisions, including near-prime options to keep approvals moving

• Guidance on clear, compliant disclosures (Consumer Duty-friendly) that still convert

Ready to get started? Partner with Marsh Finance today!