CarExpert
CarExpert is an Australian website that provides automotive-related news and car reviews.[1]
The company is headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland, with offices in Sydney and Melbourne.
History
CarExpert was founded by Anthony Crawford, Alborz Fallah, and Paul Maric as a news publication in 2020.[2][3] They previously founded a similar website named CarAdvice, which was acquired by Nine Entertainment for $30 million.[4] It uses a reverse subscription model in which it charges the car manufacturer for the people that read its car reviews.[5][6]
In 2021, Seven West Media, which owns Australian news service Seven News, acquired a minority stake on the website for $4 million and made the website its automotive partner.[2][5][7] That same year, CarExpert received the website of the year award.[1] CarExpert also opened its first retail store in 2021, showcasing new cars, in Westfield Warringah Mall in Sydney.[8]
In 2022, CarExpert received $10 million in investment gaming billionaire Laurence Escalante. Following the investment, CarExpert acquired Australian valuation and marketplace company Price My Car and announced an expansion of its operations into Western Australia.[9][2] Since its foundation, it was mostly active on the East Coast of Australia.[9] In 2023, CarExpert launched its new car buying platform using the technology acquired from Price My Car technology, using a pay-per-sale model.[10]
In October 2023, CarExpert announced the results of another $3 million capital raise, valuing the company at $50 million with an annual turnover of $15 million. Investors in this round included gaming billionaire Laurence Escalante and Seven West Media.[11][12]
In February 2026, CarExpert entered the New Zealand market via a partnership with New Zealand auction site Trade Me.[13]
The website is in process to be publicly listed.[2]
Awards and recognition
- 2021 and 2022: Website of the year[14][15]
- 2023: Paul Maric, Commonwealth Bank, Entrepreneur of the Year[16][17]
- 2024: Paul Maric, Presenter of the Year; CarTalk, media outlet of the year[18]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "CarExpert.com.au snaps up Website of the Year Award". https://cyprus-mail.com/2021/10/26/carexpert-com-au-snaps-up-website-of-the-year-award/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Macdonald, Anthony; Thompson, Sarah; Sood, Kanika (April 22, 2022). "CarExpert raising $10m to buy Price My Car; IPO next". https://www.afr.com/street-talk/carexpert-raising-10m-to-buy-price-my-car-ipo-in-2024-20220422-p5afhj.
- ↑ "Coronavirus border closures 'creating ghost flights'". https://www.couriermail.com.au/business/coronavirus-border-closures-creating-ghost-flights/news-story/a9119329f5a28c1d72470f9b02f3fb14.
- ↑ "CarAdvice to be sold to Nine for a reported $30 million". 2 September 2016. https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/caradvice-to-be-sold-to-nine-for-a-reported-30-million-20160902-gr7ulx.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "CarExpert gears up as Seven West Media takes strategic stake". https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/carexpert-gears-up-as-seven-west-media-takes-strategic-stake/news-story/38380b2d0e9a3a8959b02809ceddaf05.
- ↑ "Cameras, AI drive car sales". https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/cameras-ai-drive-car-sales/news-story/7e6008fee22779d601b8a5b7a7021ce2.
- ↑ Mellor, John (2024-02-06). "On the road to an IPO" (in en-AU). https://premium.goauto.com.au/on-the-road-to-an-ipo/.
- ↑ Cummins, Carolyn (12 August 2022). "Car dealerships hit top gear as the new tenants in town". https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/car-dealerships-hit-top-gear-as-the-new-tenants-in-town-20220811-p5b93z.html.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Escalante-backed car website revs up for WA expansion". 14 October 2022. https://thewest.com.au/business/automotive/laurence-escalante-backed-carexpert-revs-up-for-wa-expansion-c-8545256.
- ↑ Mellor, John (2023-10-17). "CarExpert reinvents itself" (in en-AU). https://premium.goauto.com.au/carexpert-reinvents-itself/.
- ↑ "Online new-car classified site CarExpert's valuation hits $50m on capital raising". 22 October 2023. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/online-newcar-classified-site-carexperts-valuation-hits-50m-on-capital-raising/news-story/0d17c403015b9f0a251b9e89b6a60158.
- ↑ "Ten Aussie startups that raised $39 million this week". 27 October 2023. https://www.smartcompany.com.au/startupsmart/news/ten-aussie-startups-raised-39-million-week/.
- ↑ "CarExpert to enter NZ with listing partner" (in en-US). 2025-11-20. https://autotalk.com.au/news/carexpert-to-enter-nz-with-listing-partner.
- ↑ "CarExpert wins Brand and Website of the Year at Publish Awards". 9 September 2022. https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/motoring/carexpert-wins-brand-and-website-of-the-year-at-publish-awards-c-8180120.
- ↑ "CarExpert wins Brand and Website of the Year at Publish Awards". 9 September 2022. https://www.perthnow.com.au/lifestyle/motoring/carexpert-wins-brand-and-website-of-the-year-at-publish-awards-c-8180116.
- ↑ "Winners and Finalists". 9 September 2023. https://smallbizweek.com.au/2023events/awards/.
- ↑ "CarExpert wins CommBank Entrepreneur of the Year business award". 25 May 2023. https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/motoring/carexpert-wins-commbank-entrepreneur-of-the-year-business-award-c-10763360.
- ↑ Barry, Robert (2024-04-23). "Nissan’s Emily Fadayev voted PR Person of the Year" (in en-US). https://autotalk.com.au/industry-news/nissans-emily-fadayev-voted-pr-person-of-the-year.