The forecourt of Umesh Samani Specialist Cars in Stoke, UK. The dealership regularly uses Motability for it’s used-car supply.

The forecourt of Umesh Samani Specialist Cars in Stoke, UK. The dealership regularly uses Motability for it’s used-car supply.

Photographer: Mary Turner/Bloomberg

City Of London

An Unlikely £7 Billion Giant Is Cornering Britain’s Car Market

Motability bought one of every five new cars sold in the UK last year. And yet it only exists to serve a very specific type of customer: people claiming mobility benefits.

When customers ask for a specific model at Umesh Samani’s used-car dealership in Stoke-on-Trent, he knows exactly where to go.

He’ll most likely find it at a supplier that’s started to dominate the UK autos market of late, a business that bought one of every five new cars sold in the country last year and whose revenue rose to near £7 billion ($8.9 billion).