FRANCHISED dealer group Dixon Motors – which has 60 outlets across the North of England and is owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland – has overhauled its website following independent research to find out what users really want.

The result is tidier and more functional than its previous website. A top menu is the main link to all the different sections from the homepage, while car manufacturing logos link through to relevant dealer network websites and to a drop-down search engine.

Click through to ‘New Car Search’ leads to multiple drop-down menus, allowing users to choose make, model and price from more than 8,000 cars in stock and a table will be displayed below with all your results. Clicking on the model of choice produces a comprehensive list of specifications and vehicles images.

This is where dixonmotors.co.uk really shines. The practical choice of options here is impressive.

Benefit-in-kind company car tax on any particular vehicle selected can be calculated online, models can be compared against each other and there’s a further search function for the nearest supplying dealers. If users want more information on a car or are interested in purchasing, they can fill in an online form for a response by email or phone.

Dixon Motors claims 40% of its business is now sourced through its website and the latest development clearly show a company pulling out all the web stops to maintain and grow that business.

The option to subscribe to an email update is available, informing customers of the latest offers on new and used cars in the Dixon network.

The contract hire section of the site looks a little dull and neglected compared with the new and used car retail areas, but everything is working and each model is accompanied with photos and specifications. Again, users interested in hire quotes can contact dixonmotors.co.uk by filling out an online form.

The lowdown

The site: www.dixonmotors.co.uk.

We like: Simple with practical features and excellent functionality

We don’t like: Some design aspects lack imagination