The Top Five Automotive Companies in the UK and Germany
John McCrea, 2 January 2025
Both the United Kingdom and Germany have proud traditions in automotive manufacturing, with the UK home to historic brands including Aston Martin, Jaguar, and Lotus. Meanwhile, Germany is home to some of the oldest, most prestigious brands in the automotive space, including Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, and stands as one of the biggest global exporters of cars.
The car industry is going through major changes right now, with manufacturers scrambling to meet government mandates on the production of zero emission vehicles. Until recently, this has largely been spearheaded by Tesla, which built its first European gigafactory in Germany. However, Volkswagen announced a joint venture with US electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian — a rival of Tesla — to combine the best of both companies’ experience in software and manufacturing.
But which companies in the UK and Germany generated the most turnover last year? Read on to find out.
Methodology
Our analysis focuses on companies in the automotive industry, applying specific criteria to ensure relevance and consistency across both the UK and Germany.
The automotive sector can be broad and difficult to distill — especially when using UK SIC codes and German WZ codes — so this analysis is driven by our proprietary industry classifications dataset.
For UK companies, only those headquartered in the United Kingdom are included. These companies must be listed as ‘Active’ on Companies House, and they must be working in the automotive industry.
Similarly, German companies must be headquartered in Germany, ‘Active’ on the German Handelsregister, and be classified within the automotive industry.
And if you’re a Beauhurst subscriber, you can search for both the UK and German companies yourself.
The top five automotive companies in the UK
5.
Sytner Group
Turnover: £7.44b
Location: Blaby
Incorporated: 1993
East Midlands-based Sytner Group operates multiple car dealerships across the UK, in addition to a broader selection of services such as MOTs and general car maintenance.
Since 2016, Sytner Group has seen consistent growth in turnover and operating profit every year, with the exception of the 2020/21 COVID-19 slowdown across all retail-based companies.
Based on its latest filings in 2023, the company generated £7.44b in turnover and £1.1b in operating profit. Our figures also show that the company added over £756m in GVA (gross value added) to the UK economy in 2023.
04.
Volkswagen Group United Kingdom
Turnover: £9.37b
Location: Milton Keynes
Incorporated: 1953
Volkswagen Group United Kingdom, a subsidiary of Germany-based Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, is another international automotive brand with a strong presence in the United Kingdom.
With UK favourites such as the Golf and Tiguan, Volkswagen also has one of the best-selling electric hatchback in its range in the form of the ID.3. The company’s 2022 filings — its most recent financials — show a turnover of £9.37b, down from the previous year of £9.44b. However, operating profit increased by £31.2m to £128m.
As we move into our list of the top German automotive companies, you might just see Volkswagen again.
03.
Inchcape
Turnover: £11.4b
Location: Westminster
Incorporated: 1958
Westminster-based Inchcape is an independent global automotive distributor and staple name in the UK car dealership scene.
Known for its strong partnerships with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), the company facilitates the sale of vehicles directly to customers on behalf of these manufacturers. Beyond vehicle sales, Inchcape offers financing solutions, parts distribution, and comprehensive aftersales services.
With £11.4b turnover in 2023 and an operating profit of £619m, Inchcape cements its position as one of the most influential players in the UK automotive industry, securing the number three spot on our list of UK automotive companies.
2.
Ford Motor Company
Turnover: £13.3b
Location: Basildon
Incorporated: 1928
The Ford Motor Company may have its roots in Detroit, USA, but the Ford of Britain subsidiary —established in the early 1900s — has made Ford one of the biggest-selling car brands in the UK.
From the Transit van to the Escort, Ford has been synonymous with reliability. In recent years, this has translated to a similarly reliable turnover, with the company generating £13.3b in turnover in 2023, £12b in 2022, and £9.30b in 2021.
1.
Jaguar Land Rover PLC
Turnover: £29b
Location: Coventry
Incorporated: 2008
Jaguar Land Rover PLC, often abbreviated to JLR, is the parent company that manages the Jaguar and Land Rover car companies.
In 2008, multinational corporation Tata Motors bought the two brands together to form JLR as a subsidiary, but prior to this merger, both Jaguar and Land Rover had been serving customers since the 1930s and 1940s respectively. Jaguar recently announced a rebrand, as the company pivots towards selling electric vehicles.
In 2024, the company recorded a £29b turnover, up from £22.8b in 2023. The company also saw a £2.45b operating profit, almost 5x the previous year.
The top five automotive companies in Germany
05.
MAHLE GmbH
Turnover: €13.0b
Location: Stuttgart
Incorporated: 1943
Stuttgart-based MAHLE GmbH has developed and supplied automotive components, including electric drive systems, thermal management, and engine components for cars and commercial vehicles, for over 80 years.
The company, which received an award for ESG Transparency in 2024, achieved €13.0b turnover in 2022, up from €461m in 2017. MAHLE also made an operating profit of €78.8m, according to its latest financial statement.
04.
Opel Automobile GmbH
Turnover: €16.2b
Location: Eisenach
Incorporated: 2012
Opel Automobile GmbH, which markets its vehicles in the UK as Vauxhall, is based in Eisenach, Thuringia.
The company, founded by Adam Opel in 1862, has existed as Opel Automobile GmbH since 2012 following a restructuring of its operations under General Motors. It later became a subsidiary of the French automotive group PSA in 2017, which subsequently merged with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to form Stellantis in 2021.
With €16.2b in turnover and €389m in operating profit, the company is number four on our list of top five German automobile companies.
03.
Mercedes-Benz AG
Turnover: €155b
Location: Stuttgart
Incorporated: 1998
The Mercedes brand goes back to the 19th century and remains one of the oldest automotive companies in the world. The current corporate form of Mercedes-Benz, in the form of Mercedes-Benz AG, was launched in 1998 following a merger between Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft and Chrysler Corporation.
In 2021, the company signalled its intent to scale up production in the EV market by acquiring innovative UK-based engineering company YASA Motors, which develops and manufactures electric motors for automobiles. The University of Oxford spinout now operates as a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz AG and received a £5.79m grant from InnovateUK in 2023.
Headquartered in Stuttgart, Mercedes-Benz AG posted €155b turnover and €17.4b in operating profit in 2023.
02.
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
Turnover: €160b
Location: München
Incorporated: 1916
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, also known as the BMW Group, takes the second spot on our list.
Another iconic German automotive company, which designs and manufactures a series of cars and motorcycles, the company has since acquired Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited, a spiritual successor to the automotive company of the past. BMW, which operates globally, saw particularly strong success from its Spartanburg, South Carolina plant, which exported almost $9.6b worth of vehicles.
Still, with €160b in turnover in 2023, BMW Group remains one of the largest automotive companies both in Germany and globally.
01.
Volkswagen AG
Turnover: €337b
Location: Wolfsburg
Incorporated: 1937
Volkswagen AG, the iconic German automotive brand, takes our top spot with over €337b turnover.
The company, which also owns majority stakes in Audi AG and Porsche AG, has developed some of the most iconic cars of the previous century, including the VW Beetle. More recently, Volkswagen has made a statement entry into the electric vehicle market, with the launch of the ID. fleet of vehicles in 2020 — including an electric camper van.
Since then, Volkswagen Group has seen operating profit grow from €9.68b in 2020 to €22.6b in 2023 and global headcount reaching almost 700,000.
Explore the automotive industry on Beauhurst
Against the backdrop of Government-sanctioned EV manufacturing targets, autonomous vehicles, and ever-more sophisticated onboard software and electronics, the automotive industry is changing at an extraordinary pace. But as the automotive industry evolves, we’ll track every moment.
To keep up with the latest trends, whether you’re looking for innovative startups to invest in, or you’re analysing financial shifts, the Beauhurst platform offers data on every automotive company in the UK and Germany.
Want to see the platform in action? Simply take an online tour of the platform now, or book a demo with one of our team.
