Motorway says around 30% of its network of more than 8,000 dealers is using Oto, an AI-powered WhatsApp assistant for finding vehicles in its auctions. The tool points to a practical use for AI in used-car buying: matching dealers with stock without making them keep refreshing auction listings like it’s a hobby.
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
Automotive Management reports that Oto launched in October. Dealers can ask for particular makes, models and specifications; the assistant learns their purchasing preferences and recommends suitable vehicles. Motorway’s chief executive, Tom Leathes, describes it as both a recommendations service and a place to ask questions.
The report also describes retailers building their own AI tools to combine dealership stock, market valuations and Motorway listings when working out bids. Motorway plans to offer similar capabilities to dealers without the resources to build them themselves.
A separate development is in the works for fleet vehicles: AI-assisted profiling intended to identify scratches, dents and other damage from sellers’ photographs. Motorway’s partnership with Mobilize Financial Services will allow some end-of-contract vehicles to be listed with dealers before they are physically returned. The AI profiling is being developed, not described as a finished inspection system.
Why it matters
These are concrete attempts to make a crowded vehicle market easier to search and faster to move through. For dealers, recommendations could reduce the time spent hunting for suitable stock; for leasing firms, listing vehicles before they pass through storage and auction facilities could shorten the disposal process. Neither benefit is automatic: dealers still need to judge whether a car’s condition and price make sense.
Our read
The interesting signal is adoption, not the AI label: Motorway says roughly 2,400 of its 8,000-plus dealers are already using Oto. That is a meaningful foothold, though not proof that it improves purchasing outcomes. The useful test is whether dealers find better stock or make better-margin bids, rather than simply receiving more recommendations.
What to watch
- Whether Motorway publishes results showing how Oto affects dealer purchases or margins.
- When its own AI bidding tools become available to dealers without in-house systems.
- Whether AI-assisted damage profiling proves useful alongside the physical inspections Motorway says remain essential.
Discussion spark: Should AI vehicle recommendations be judged by how quickly dealers find stock, or by whether they actually improve the margins on the cars they buy?
Sources and evidence
- Source update (6 November 2026, 12:05 UTC)
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