CarExpert
CarExpert is an Australian website that provides automotive-related news and car reviews. It also includes a car marketplace, called the CarExpert Exchange, which connects vehicle buyers to car dealerships. As of October 2021, the site attracted 1.4 million Australian visitors, with another 1.5 million views on its YouTube channel.
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. They previously founded a similar website named CarAdvice, which was acquired by Nine Entertainment for $30 million. It uses a reverse subscription model in which it charges the car manufacturer for the people that read its car reviews.
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. That same year, CarExpert received the website of the year award. CarExpert also opened its first retail store in 2021, showcasing new cars, in Westfield Warringah Mall in Sydney.
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. Since its foundation, it was mostly ACTIVE on the East Coast of Australia. In 2023, CarExpert launched its new car buying platform using the technology acquired from Price My Car technology, using a pay-per-sale model.
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.
In February 2026, CarExpert entered the New Zealand market via a partnership with New Zealand auction site Trade Me.
The website is in process to be publicly listed.
Awards and recognition
- 2021 and 2022: Website of the year
- 2023: Paul Maric, Commonwealth Bank, Entrepreneur of the Year
- 2024: Paul Maric, Presenter of the Year; CarTalk, media outlet of the year