What is Drive (drive.co.uk)?

Updated

Drive is a UK online car marketplace that combines quality-checked used cars from selected dealers with new lease offers, finance comparison tools, expert reviews and buying guides. It is backed by Volkswagen Financial Services and a network of approved retailers, and it covers Volkswagen Group brands alongside many other makes. It is most useful if you are shopping for a used car or a new lease in the UK and want search, finance and research in one place — particularly if a Volkswagen Group brand is on your shortlist.

What Drive offers

The site is built around three ideas it states directly: choice, freedom and confidence.

  • Choice — Search thousands of quality used vehicles from Volkswagen Group and other authorised retailers, alongside new lease offers from Volkswagen Financial Services, all in one place.
  • Freedom — Buy or lease, new or used. Explore finance options, compare monthly payments and understand affordability.
  • Confidence — Vehicles are warranty-backed, and the platform is backed by Volkswagen Financial Services and a network of approved retailers, with reviews, buying guides and support from first search through to ownership.

In practice that means you can move between browsing used stock, checking lease deals, comparing monthly costs, and reading reviews or guides without leaving the site.

What you can browse

Drive organises its inventory and content in a few ways.

By car type

Electric, SUV, Automatic, Hatchback, Estate, Vans, 7 Seaters, MPV, with a "View all" option.

By make

The most popular makes listed on Drive include:

Group Brands
Volkswagen Group Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, Škoda, Volkswagen Commercial, CUPRA, Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini
Other popular makes Aston Martin, BMW, Citroen, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Land Rover, Mercedes, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Toyota, Vauxhall, Volvo

There is a "See more brands" link for the full list.

Popular models for sale

Volkswagen Polo, Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Fabia, Volkswagen Tiguan, CUPRA Formentor, Skoda Kodiaq, Audi A1, Volkswagen ID.3, Audi A3, SEAT Arona, Volkswagen Transporter, SEAT Ibiza.

Research tools: reviews and guides

Drive publishes reviews grouped by category, which is useful if you are comparing within a segment rather than starting from a single model.

  • Electric cars — CUPRA Born, Volkswagen ID.3, Skoda Enyaq, Audi Q4 e-tron, Volkswagen ID.Buzz
  • Small SUVs — Skoda Kamiq, Volkswagen T-Cross, SEAT Arona, Audi Q2, Volkswagen Taigo
  • Hatchbacks — Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Octavia, SEAT Ibiza, Volkswagen Polo, Audi A1
  • Family SUVs — SEAT Ateca, Volkswagen Tiguan, Skoda Kodiaq, Audi Q7, CUPRA Formentor

Popular guides cover best hybrid cars, best small cars, best family cars, best estate cars and best sports cars; EV guides such as best electric cars, cheapest electric cars, best electric SUVs, best small electric cars and fastest electric cars; and SUV guides including best SUVs, best small SUVs, best hybrid SUVs, best family SUVs and best 4x4s.

There is also an advice and stats section with topics like car tax rates 2026, cheapest cars to run, cheapest cars to insure, what is Euro 6, and your parking rights.

How to use it

  1. Start with a category or make. Use "Browse by car type" if your priority is body style or fuel (for example Electric or SUV), or pick a make if you already have a brand in mind.
  2. Decide buy vs lease. Drive supports both. Used cars come from authorised retailers; new lease offers come from Volkswagen Financial Services.
  3. Compare on monthly cost, not just sticker price. The site lets you explore finance options and compare monthly payments, so you can judge affordability on the same basis across different cars.
  4. Read the relevant review or guide before shortlisting. Segment-based reviews (small SUVs, family SUVs, and so on) are more useful than single-model reviews when you are still narrowing down.
  5. Check the ownership-cost advice. Guides on tax rates, running costs and insurance give you a second filter after the monthly payment.

What to check before you commit

  • Warranty terms — Vehicles are described as warranty-backed, but confirm what the warranty covers and for how long on the specific car you are considering.
  • Who the retailer is — Used stock comes from selected dealers and authorised retailers; the selling dealer's terms apply to the purchase.
  • Lease vs buy conditions — Lease offers come from Volkswagen Financial Services, so mileage limits, term and end-of-contract conditions matter as much as the monthly figure.
  • Total cost vs monthly cost — The site offers both views; use the total to compare cars and the monthly figure to check it fits your budget.

Who it suits

Drive works well if you want a single UK destination for used-car search, new lease offers, finance comparison and independent-style research, and especially if you are considering a Volkswagen Group brand. If you are set on a make outside the listed network, or you want to buy privately rather than through approved retailers, it will be less useful as a one-stop shop — though the reviews and guides still apply.