Land Rover tops Carwow’s ‘most potential profit’ list in Q3 auctions

Premium brands and SUVs continue to lead the way, while BEVs drop out of the top 10.

Land Rover has taken the top spot as the most profitable brand in Carwow’s daily online auctions during Q3 2025 – offering dealers an average potential margin of £3,671 on used stock.

Our analysis of Q3 auction results compared achieved selling prices with CAP “Retail” values (for Grade 1 vehicles) to reveal which brands and models offered the strongest returns for dealers.

Premium brands = premium margins

Luxury and premium marques dominated the leaderboard. Lexus came second with an average potential margin of £3,030, followed by Audi at £2,903. Mazda and Skoda rounded out the top five with average profits of £2,570 and £2,511, respectively.

Across the top 10, the clear trend was demand for SUVs – with models from Land Rover, Mercedes, Audi, BMW and Kia driving the highest potential profits.

Q3’s most profitable models

• 🥇 Range Rover Sport – £5,306 potential margin
• 🥈 Mercedes GLC – £3,221
• 🥉 Audi Q3 – £3,006
• 4️⃣ Mercedes GLB – £2,862
• 5️⃣ BMW X3 – £2,692

Other strong performers included the Kia Sportage, Volvo XC40, Hyundai Tucson, Ford Puma and MG HS – all offering dealers margins above £2,300.

BEVs drop out of the list

For the first time this year, no battery electric vehicles made it into the top 10 most profitable models. In Q2, two BEVs were featured.

Carwow Commercial Director James Pollard explains:

“Our Q3 results underline the strong and consistent demand for SUVs in the used market. Land Rover has risen from sixth in Q1 to the top spot in Q3, showing the continued appetite for premium SUVs with healthy dealer margins.

“Notably, BEVs have fallen away from the profitability list this quarter – likely due to the Government’s Electric Car Grant (ECG) encouraging buyers towards new models, where discounts are compelling.”

What this means for dealers

Carwow auctions give dealers access to 20,000+ fresh vehicles every month, with over 250,000 cars worth £2bn+ already sold through the platform.

With SUVs continuing to dominate profitability and BEV dynamics shifting, now is the time for dealers to:

• Double down on SUVs where buyer demand is strongest
• Use Carwow’s daily auctions to source stock with proven retail margins
• Stay agile on BEVs – as government incentives reshape buyer behaviour
  
  

💡 Dealer takeaway: Land Rover may lead the pack, but the opportunity goes wider. From Audi Q3s to Hyundai Tucsons, SUVs remain a high-margin play – and Carwow’s daily auctions are where to find them. Dealers can r