In the first of several major deals, online car auction company Autorola has signed a deal with Europcar to remarket the majority of its cars through its online b2b sales channel.

Autorola is in discussions with at least four other lease and rental companies with a view to remarketing their vehicles on its online trade-only service.

Following a Europe-wide trial of remarketing options by Europcar, which now carries more risk in its fleet after car manufacturers began pulling out of rental buy-back deals, the company opted for online b2b remarketing in the UK.

At least 85% of its vehicles – a minimum of 300 a month – will now be sold by Autorola.

“We are now going head-to-head with the physical auctions,” said Autorola’s UK sales director Richard Pay, adding that Autorola, which is already selling 15,000 cars a year in the UK and 175,000 throughout Europe, will have established four or five defleet and remarketing centres in the UK by the middle of next year to handle the predicted growth in business.

“There will always be a place for the traditional auctions but the model is changing and within three, four maybe five years the bulk of trade will be through systems such as ours.”