How to create a filter
3 min read·Updated April 2026
A filter is a saved set of search criteria — makes, year, mileage, price band, profit thresholds. Every scan you run uses one filter. Most dealers end up with 3-6 filters they rotate through (e.g. “Quick flips under £15k”, “Premium German 2020+”, “SUVs under 50k miles”).
Saved filters are shared with your team if you’re on a Business plan — anyone can edit and run them.
1
Open the filter creator
From the dashboard sidebar, click Filters → New Filter, or hit the + New Filter button on the filters page. The form opens inline.
2
Name the filter
Give it a name you’ll recognise — short and specific is better than clever. Good examples: “BMW 3-Series 2018+”, “Quick £2k+ profit”, “German auto under 60k miles”.
3
Pick target makes
Tap each make you want to scan. Most dealers stick to 2-5 makes per filter. Adding every make makes the scan slower and clutters the results with noise.
4
Set year + mileage range
Min year filters out cars that are too old to retail well. Max mileage screens out high-mileage cars where the margin doesn’t justify the prep work. Typical sweet spot: 2018+ · under 70,000 miles.
5
Set price band
Min price filters out the unprofitable bottom (£500 PXs). Max price stops £40k cars showing up if you only buy mid-range stock. Set this to your real working budget.
6
Set profit thresholds
Three thresholds split your results into Quick-Flip, Main, and Luxury buckets. Defaults of £1,500 / £2,500 / £4,000 work for most dealers. The buckets show up as colour-coded sections in the scan results.
7
Optional filters
- Automatics only — skip manual cars (most dealers prefer auto)
- Service history required — only show cars with full or partial service history
- Platforms — pick which auction sites this filter scans (Motorway, CarWow Buy Now, CarWow Auction)
8
Save
Click Save Filter. It appears in your filters list and is immediately usable for scanning. Star it as a favourite if you’ll run it often — favourites appear at the top of the list.
Tweaking after the first scan
Don’t over-tune the filter on day one. Run it once, look at what shows up, then adjust. Common adjustments after seeing real results:
- Too many results → tighten max mileage or raise min profit
- Too few results → widen the year range or add another make
- Cars too expensive to flip → lower max price
Tip: after editing a filter, run it again to see how the results change. Filters don’t auto-rerun — each scan is a one-shot snapshot.
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