ATLANTA, March 11, 2026 – Cox Automotive recognized outstanding performance across the independent auction community with its 17th annual Independent Auction Awards, celebrating partners who are driving progress across flooring, digital remarketing and buyer confidence in today’s evolving wholesale marketplace. Now officially known as the Cox Automotive Independent Auction Awards, the program represents an evolution of the longstanding OVE Awards and reflects the company’s continued commitment to independent auctions through solutions spanning OVE, NextGear Capital and—new this year—DealShield.
The awards were presented during an event in Dallas, bringing together independent auction leaders and Cox Automotive partners to celebrate shared momentum and success.
“These awards are about recognizing the independent auctions that continue to raise the bar for our industry,” said Mike Browning, associate vice president of Industry Operations at Cox Automotive. “We’re proud to celebrate their success—and we’re committed to continuing to work alongside them to help keep their businesses moving forward.”
How OVE and NextGear Capital Support Independent Auctions
Independent auctions are the backbone of OVE, Cox Automotive’s digital wholesale platform designed to promote partner inventory and connect sellers with buyers nationwide. Browsed by 15,000 dealers each week, OVE provides a centralized, 24/7 marketplace that complements physical lanes while helping auctions expand digital engagement.
Just as OVE extends auctions’ digital reach, NextGear Capital solutions are designed to complement independent auctions’ unique business models—helping them grow volume, attract buyers and strengthen longterm performance. NextGear Capital provides over 18,000 independent dealers with flexible credit lines for inventory financing and a suite of solutions to help them optimize their cash flow and increase profitability.
New DealShield Awards Highlight Buyer Confidence and Partnership
New this year, Cox Automotive introduced DealShield awards to spotlight independent auctions that are strengthening buyer confidence and transparency through protection products that enhance the wholesale buying experience. Today, over 100 independent auctions are members of the DealShield network.
- The DealShield Excellence Award was presented to America’s Auto Auction Northern California for demonstrating leadership within the DealShield network with their performance, collaboration and partnership. The auction set the standard through leveraging DealShield as a strategic part of their business, exhibiting strong operational execution and proactive communication and helping to grow the DealShield platform.
- The DealShield Client Engagement Award went to America’s Auto Auction El Paso, recognizing the auction with the highest percentage of vehicles sold with DealShield protection. The award reflects strong buyer adoption and the auction’s ability to position DealShield as a trusted, value-added part of the sales experience.
“These new awards reinforce how independent auctions are innovating to meet buyer expectations,” Browning added. “They’re showing what’s possible when protection, transparency and partnership come together.”
Celebrating Excellence Across Digital Remarketing, Flooring and More
In addition to the DealShield honors, Cox Automotive recognized independent auctions for exceptional performance across key metrics on OVE and through NextGear Capital flooring solutions—areas where independent auctions continue to grow their reach and liquidity. The company also recognized a respected industry leader whose work has made a lasting impact on independent auctions and the broader wholesale ecosystem.
The complete list of Independent Auction Award winners follows:
- DealShield Excellence Award: America’s Auto Auction Northern California
- DealShield Client Engagement Award: America’s Auto Auction El Paso
- OVE Highest Commercial Sales Volume: Southern Auto Auction
- OVE Highest Digital Mix: America’s Auto Auction San Antonio
- OVE Highest Dealer Sales Volume: America’s Your Auction Tampa Bay
- OVE Lowest Unbuy Rate: Orlando Longwood Auto Auction
- OVE Highest Dealer Sales Growth: Greater Rockford Auto Auction
- OVE Highest New Seller Growth: America’s Auto Auction Kansas City
- OVE Highest Dealer Conversion Rate: South Florida Auto Auction
- OVE Highest Conversion Rate Total Sales: Norwalk Auto Auction
- OVE Highest New Seller Growth – New Auction: United Auto Exchange
- NextGear Capital Highest Annual Flooring Independent Auction: Orlando Longwood Auto Auction
- NextGear Capital Largest Growth YOY Independent Auction: Oakwood’s Arrow Auto Auction
- Award for Industry Excellence: Dave Blake, executive director, Independent Auction Group
“Celebrating these achievements underscores our shared commitment to progress,” Browning concluded. “When independent auctions succeed, the entire wholesale ecosystem benefits.”
About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive is the world’s largest automotive services and technology provider. Fueled by the largest breadth of first-party data fed by 2.3 billion online interactions a year, Cox Automotive tailors leading solutions for car shoppers, auto manufacturers, dealers, lenders and fleets. The company has 29,000+ employees on five continents and a portfolio of industry-leading brands that include Autotrader®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, vAuto®, Dealertrack®, NextGear Capital™, CentralDispatch® and Cox Fleet®. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately owned, Atlanta-based company with $23 billion in annual revenue. Cox Automotive has been included on Glassdoor’s Best Companies in Tech & AI 2026 and Best Place to Work in 2026 lists. Visit coxautoinc.com or connect via @CoxAutomotive on X, CoxAutoInc on Facebook or Cox-Automotive-Inc on LinkedIn.
