The Car Dealer Power Awards are not just about recruitment. They give dealerships the chance to recognise the manufacturers, suppliers, products, and services that genuinely support them throughout the year.

That is what makes them useful. They are not based on who shouts the loudest or who has the glossiest marketing. They are voted for by people working in the motor trade, based on real experience.

For recruitment, that matters. A good recruitment partner can make hiring easier, faster, and more effective. A poor one can waste time, send the wrong candidates, and make a difficult market feel even harder.

With Car Dealer Power 2026 now open for voting, it is a good time to look at what these awards actually tell us about motor trade recruitment and why dealership feedback matters.

Key Takeaways

• The Car Dealer Power Awards cover manufacturers and supplier categories across the motor trade, not just recruitment
• Voting is based on real dealership experience, which makes the awards a useful measure of supplier performance
• Good recruitment is about understanding roles properly, not just matching CVs to job titles
• Dealerships value recruitment partners who save time, communicate clearly, and send relevant candidates
• Industry recognition over time shows consistency, which matters more than one-off results

What Are the Car Dealer Power Awards?

The Car Dealer Power Awards are run by Car Dealer Magazine and give dealers the chance to name the best suppliers and manufacturers to work with across the motor trade.

For 2026, the survey is open now and closes on June 11. Winners and highly commended firms will be announced on July 14, with categories covering car manufacturers, car of the year, and 23 supplier categories, including Recruitment Agency.

Those supplier categories cover a wide range of dealership services, from finance providers and website suppliers to warranties, valuations, AI products, data insight, and recruitment. That is why the awards matter beyond one single area of the trade. They show what dealerships value across the businesses and services they rely on every day.

Why the Car Dealer Power Awards Matter

Most dealerships know the difference between a supplier that makes life easier and one that creates more work.

The Car Dealer Power Awards are useful because they reflect those real working relationships. Dealers are not voting on theory. They are voting based on what actually happened when they needed support.

How industry voting reflects real dealership experience

When dealerships vote, they are judging suppliers on things like service, communication, reliability, results, and whether the business delivered what it said it would.

For recruitment, that means candidate quality, speed, honesty, and whether the agency genuinely understood the vacancy. It is not enough to send CVs quickly if those CVs are not right.

Why supplier categories matter

The supplier categories show how many moving parts dealerships depend on. Recruitment is one part of that, but it sits alongside other essential services that support dealership performance.

That broader view is important because hiring does not happen in isolation. A dealership with the right people in place is better equipped to deliver customer service, hit targets, and keep departments running properly.

What Dealerships Actually Value in a Recruitment Partner

Dealerships value recruitment partners who understand their roles, send relevant candidates, and reduce the time it takes to hire effectively.

Understanding roles beyond job titles

A Service Advisor role is not the same in every dealership. A Vehicle Technician role in a main dealer is different from one in an independent. A Sales Executive role in a prestige site is not the same as one in a volume dealership.

Good recruitment starts with understanding those differences. Without that, the matching process becomes too basic and the wrong candidates end up in front of the wrong employers.

Sending relevant, properly screened candidates

Relevant candidates matter more than a long shortlist.

A strong recruitment agency should screen properly before sending anyone across. That means checking experience, expectations, salary, location, motivation, and whether the candidate is genuinely right for the role.

When that is done well, dealerships save time. When it is not, hiring managers end up doing the screening themselves.

Saving time rather than creating more work

Recruitment should make the hiring process easier.

If a dealership is chasing updates, reviewing unsuitable CVs, or repeatedly explaining the same requirements, the agency is not adding enough value.

A good recruiter keeps the process moving, communicates clearly, and helps hiring managers make better decisions with less wasted time.

This is often where the difference between a good and poor recruiter becomes obvious. One reduces pressure on the business, the other adds to it.

What 13 Years of Recognition Actually Shows

Perfect Placement has been recognised as Automotive Recruitment Agency of the Year in the Car Dealer Power Awards for 13 consecutive years.

That kind of consistency matters because recruitment changes constantly. Markets shift, candidate expectations change, and dealerships face different pressures from year to year.

Being recognised over a long period is not about one good year. It shows that the same standards have been delivered consistently across changing market conditions.

Why consistency matters in recruitment

One good placement is useful. A reliable recruitment process is far more valuable.

Dealerships need partners who can support them across different roles, locations, and hiring challenges. That means understanding the market, giving honest advice, and staying close to both clients and candidates throughout the process.

Why long-term relationships matter

Recruitment works better when the agency understands the business properly.

Long-term relationships help recruiters understand team structure, management style, salary expectations, and what kind of candidate usually succeeds in that environment.

That knowledge leads to better conversations, stronger shortlists, and fewer wasted interviews.

Why This Matters When You Are Hiring

Hiring in the motor trade is rarely as simple as putting a job advert live and waiting for the right person to appear.

Technical roles remain difficult to fill, experienced candidates are often already employed, and salary expectations can move quickly. That makes the recruitment partner you choose even more important.

The right agency should help you understand the market, reach relevant candidates, and keep the process moving. The wrong one can make the situation worse.

In practice, many dealerships find that roles take longer to fill when the recruitment process is not properly managed, particularly in technical positions where candidate availability can be limited.

How to Vote for Perfect Placement in the Car Dealer Power Awards

The Car Dealer Power 2026 survey is open now and closes on June 11. It only takes a few minutes to complete, and it gives dealerships the chance to recognise suppliers they have worked with across a range of categories.

Step 1
Visit the official Car Dealer Power 2026 voting page.

Step 2
Complete the survey and move through the supplier categories.

Step 3
Find the Recruitment Agency category.

Step 4
Select Perfect Placement based on your experience working with our team.

Step 5
Submit your vote before the June 11 deadline.

Why Your Vote Matters

Your vote helps recognise the suppliers who genuinely support dealerships throughout the year.

For us, the Car Dealer Power Awards matter because they come from the industry. They reflect the experience of the people we work with every day, not just what we say about ourselves.

If Perfect Placement has supported your business with recruitment, your vote helps recognise the work our team puts into understanding your roles, supporting your hiring process, and delivering relevant candidates across the motor trade.

Final Thoughts

The Car Dealer Power Awards are bigger than recruitment, but they say a lot about what good recruitment should look like.

Dealerships value suppliers who understand their world, communicate properly, and make the job easier. That applies whether you are choosing a finance provider, a website supplier, a warranty partner, or a recruitment agency.

If you are hiring and want to work with a recruitment partner that understands the motor trade, speak to our team to discuss your requirements.

About the Author

Ashley Camies
As Marketing & Automation Manager at Perfect Placement, Ashley Camies has 14 years of automotive recruitment experience. Since 2011, she has supported motor trade employers and candidates across the UK. She specialises in strengthening recruitment processes and candidate engagement, providing informed commentary on hiring trends and talent market strategy based on over a decade of sector insight.