MotoNovo Finance: Who we are

MotoNovo Finance is one of the largest lenders in the UK used car finance market, and officially one of the Sunday Times Best Companies to work for. Here at MotoNovo we are proud of our culture, and place trust, integrity, and teamwork at the heart of what we do. It’s what makes us unique, and is part of our success.

MotoNovians are a diverse bunch who have several things in common - we are committed and motivated, but are also well rewarded and know how to have fun! When you join us, you will become part of a business which values you as an individual and believes that you will make an incredible contribution to the growth of our business.

Located in One Central Square, at the heart of Cardiff City Centre, we have provided our 500+ employees with a first class working environment, designed to enhance creativity. As we grow, we are on the look-out for more talented and ambitious individuals to join our enthusiastic team, and help us in continuing to drive forward through innovation and change.

Culture & values

We have four shared values that are embedded throughout all that we do:

Customer comes first

People as individuals

Quality in all we do

Profitable growth

Our history

1972 - 1999 | MotoNovo Finance was founded as Carlyle Finance in Cardiff, South Wales, by Sir Julian Hodge. Struggling to compete with the much larger players who dominated the market, the company began to look ahead to a new way of thinking.

2000 | Under new leadership, the business set about a major change programme with a clear vision to become the UK's leading independent motor finance business. An absolute focus on dealer finance, a real entrepreneurial spirit, and a willingness to embrace change and innovation enabled Carlyle Finance to grow in scale, reputation, and profitability.
At a time of exits and consolidations in the independent finance sector, Carlyle Finance continued to win friends amongst the dealer community.

2006 | WesBank, South Africa's leading car finance company, acquired the business. This significant investment allowed the Carlyle Finance business to realise its true potential. New premises, investment in technology, and a wide scale recruitment of talent began to lay the foundations for future success.

2012 | After many years of galvanising success, Carlyle Finance rebranded to MotoNovo Finance, becoming a leading force in the future of the motor industry. The MotoNovo brand fully embraces its Latin translation, where 'moto' means 'moving, driving forward' and 'novo' means 'refresh, renew, innovate, change'. The company launched a mission to bridge the gap between consumer expectations and what was readily available to them, ensuring that dealer finance remained vibrant and sustainable in the highly competitive and rapidly changing market.

2014 - 2015 | MotoNovo's quest to take position as one of the UK's top performing finance companies was realised when the company achieved third place market position. Due to its innovative spirit, the company made over £52million profit between 2014-2015.

2016 | MotoNovo Finance achieves second place market position. The sales divisions are expanding, growing the company's reach across the UK and even into Northern Ireland, which has meant an end to the reliance on online brokers. The business is always growing and diversifying, and the expansion follows an exciting move to Central Square, within the Central Cardiff Enterprise Zone.

2017 | MotoNovo has become one of the UK’s fastest growing finance companies and most successful businesses in Wales. MotoNovo has launched its Personal Loans service and is looking forward to unveiling the next generation in online car buying. A decade of strength, courage, hard work, and integrity is to be celebrated by the people who have made it all possible.