British motorists are increasingly adopting an Amazon-style approach to buying cars online, driving a surge in Chinese brands while established manufacturers such as Ford and Vauxhall suffer sharp declines in sales.
Research by automotive data technology company Vehicle Data Global (VDG) found that nearly all car buyers now begin their purchasing journey on the internet, comparing vehicle specifications before visiting showrooms or dealerships.
The research, shared exclusively with the financial website This is Money, highlighted that unfamiliar Chinese companies are gaining online traction using methods similar to those that established Chinese consumer goods on the Amazon retail platform.
Ben Hermer, operations director at VDG, said the transition to electric vehicles had accelerated this shift.
"Car buyers are increasingly applying their online shopping habits, developed through buying electronics and household products from unfamiliar online brands on Amazon, to their car-buying process," he said.
Legacy manufacturers see registrations tumble
The change in consumer behaviour has coincided with a severe drop in sales for some of Britain's most recognisable motoring names.
Between 2015 and 2025, Ford dropped from being the most popular car brand in the United Kingdom to third place overall, with its registrations falling by 64 per cent.
Vauxhall, another historic market staple, tumbled from second place to 13th over the same decade, recording a 70 per cent decline in sales.
Volkswagen was the market leader last year, but its registrations were still 19 per cent lower than they had been 10 years earlier.
VDG analysis covering two decades of car brand performance suggested the decline of household automotive names was tied to the normalisation of online research and shopping.
The shift towards electric vehicles has intensified pressure on traditional giants by positioning cars more like feature-rich consumer electronics, which makes direct comparisons easier for buyers.
"Electric cars lend themselves particularly well to feature comparisons in the same way that household and other consumer products are assessed on Amazon, with buyers keen to compare range, charging speed, battery capacity and features such as cabin screen quality and driver-assistance equipment alongside traditional considerations such as warranty length and finance terms," Hermer said.
He noted that this dynamic allowed relatively unknown brands to compete immediately based on value.
Chinese brands compete on bundled features
"This has favoured Chinese manufacturers, who come from an existing culture of providing long lists of standard features, compared with established manufacturers that have tended to bundle many of their most advanced technologies into costly option packs," Hermer said.
As a result, VDG concluded that buyers were swapping long-held brand loyalty for a comparison mindset when selecting a vehicle.
While the automotive market in the 1960s and 1970s was dominated by familiar manufacturers with loyal customer bases, VDG compared the current pressure on car brands and dealerships to the challenges high street shops faced from online retail.
However, the firm stated that the greatest impact on the car market came from increased competition on price, specifications, availability and digital appeal, rather than simply the growth of online purchasing.
"Facing several years of increased living costs, car buyers increasingly favour Chinese manufacturers, which tend to provide long equipment lists and exciting technological features as standard," Hermer said.
"Cars are increasingly becoming bundles of searchable features, which for some buyers may be more important than longstanding engineering pedigree, handling character and brand history."
He added that this research process had conditioned consumers to respond to "instantly eye-catching promises", giving the example of "360-degree camera included".
Shared platforms mirror electronics industry
The car market is also mirroring Amazon by presenting an illusion of limitless brand choice, when many apparently independent vehicles originate from the same corporate groups or factories.
The Chery automobile corporation produces both the Omoda and Jaecoo brands. Jaecoo manufactures the Jaecoo 7 SUV, which is the company's best-selling model and has been dubbed the "Temu Range Rover".
Despite only marking their second anniversary in August, Omoda and Jaecoo have sold more than 100,000 cars in the UK combined.
In a similar setup, the Chinese automotive giant Geely owns well-known marques including Volvo, Lotus and Polestar.
"Although it appears at first sight that car brands are proliferating, they are typically originating from widely shared technology and a relatively small number of platforms, battery manufacturers and parent companies," Hermer said.
He argued that the true legacy of Amazon in the car market was the shift from a limited choice of familiar brands to a market full of unfamiliar but attractive Chinese products.
"Marques such as Ford and Vauxhall have therefore experienced dynamics similar to those faced by electronics brands such as Sony and Philips, which have increasingly been challenged for market share by strong value-for-money newcomers," Hermer said.
UK market buoyed by lack of EV tariffs
Britain remains a particularly attractive market for Chinese brands compared with the European Union, as the UK chose not to impose duties on Chinese-made electric vehicles.
European countries have implemented tariffs ranging from 7.8 per cent to 35.3 per cent on Chinese EVs, reacting to concerns that China provides substantial state support to its supply chain.
Despite the influx of new competitors, VDG stated that legacy brands "still have a real advantage" because of their "expertise in managing the used market, residual values, parts supply and logistics chains".
"None of this means that the game is over for the traditional automotive giants, which are still adjusting to the new conditions," Hermer said.
"Just as Amazon's marketplace is characterised by rapid entry, intense price competition and the frequent disappearance of products, we believe that not all of the current Chinese brands will necessarily achieve the scale needed to maintain long-term success."
