Auto Trader has scooped two prestigious gongs at the annual Big Chip Awards in Manchester.

The Big Chip Awards recognise outstanding websites and awarded Auto Trader the prize for Best Application of Technology, for its new used car search.

Auto Trader also scooped the prize of Best from Cheshire and Warrington – where the website’s technology teams are based.

Programme and change director at Auto Trader Stephanie Hassman said: “We are delighted we won two categories at the Manchester Big Chip Awards 2008.

“We entered these awards for the first time this year and selected the Big Chip awards as they are the top awards for new media outside London.”

Auto Trader visitors can now search for a car using specific search criteria such as fuel type, mileage and body shape, rather than just by make and model. The results now display the exact number of cars which match the user’s requirements.

Stephanie added: “These are fantastic achievements for both the team that worked on implementing the new search functionality with Endeca and to Auto Trader as a whole.”

The Big Chip Awards are the top awards for new media outside London, and are judged by a panel of experts from organisations including Channel 4 and leading industry magazine New Media Age.

Auto Trader launched its award-winning website in 1995, quickly becoming the UK’s number one destination for online car classifieds, and recently underwent a comprehensive facelift, as well as incorporating its all-new search engine.

Auto Trader is one of the top 30 most visited sites in the UK, with a quarter of the UK’s adult online population spending an average of 15 minutes on the site – more than social networking site Facebook.