You won’t find one confirmed number for Derek Mathewson’s net worth anywhere public, and that’s worth saying plainly upfront. Public estimates for 2026 range from around £2 million to £10 million, depending on the publication.
That’s a huge gap, and it exists for a simple reason: Mathewsons Classic Cars Ltd files total exemption accounts with Companies House, which means it isn’t legally required to disclose turnover or profit. Nobody outside the family and their accountant has the real number.
What you can say with confidence is where the wealth likely sits: a 50-plus-year-old auction and classic car trading business, a personal vehicle collection built up over decades, and income from a long-running TV show.
The next section breaks down exactly how a reasonable estimate gets built from those pieces and why you should treat any single headline figure with some skepticism
Quick Facts Table
| Detail | Information |
| Name | Derek Mathewson |
| Date of Birth | October 13, 1951 |
| Age (2026) | 74 |
| Nationality | British |
| Profession | Classic car auctioneer, businessman, TV personality |
| Known For | Bangers & Cash (Yesterday / U&Yesterday) |
| Business | Mathewsons Classic Cars Ltd |
| Business Founded | 1970 (Bedfordshire) |
| Auction Business Launched | 2011 |
| Location | Thornton-le-Dale & Pickering, North Yorkshire |
| Estimated Net Worth (2026) | £2 million – £10 million (estimates vary widely; no confirmed figure) |
| Spouse | Sue Mathewson |
| Sons | Paul Mathewson, Dave Mathewson |
Note: Companies House does not currently list Derek Mathewson as a director of Mathewsons Classic Cars Ltd his sons hold that role today.
How We Calculated Derek Mathewson’s Net Worth (Methodology)
Before showing the numbers, it’s worth being upfront about something almost no other article addresses directly: Mathewsons Classic Cars Ltd files total exemption accounts with Companies House.
That means the company is not legally required to publish turnover, profit, or asset values. Nothing here is pulled from a confirmed financial statement. What follows is a transparent, assumption based estimate, built from publicly available reference points, with every assumption labeled as an assumption.
Auction Commission Revenue Estimate
The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs, an industry trade body, lists Mathewsons as offering “in excess of 3,000 vehicles a year” in its trade directory (a figure noted as a pre pandemic benchmark). Mathewsons itself does not publish exact commission rates, so we can’t state a confirmed percentage. UK auction houses in this segment commonly charge a combined buyer’s premium and seller’s commission somewhere in the 15 to 25 percent range of hammer price, though this varies by house and by lot value.
Using 3,000 vehicles a year as a floor, and assuming an average hammer price in the low thousands (Mathewsons regularly sells everyday classics from a few hundred pounds up to low six figures for rare lots), a rough commission pool in the low to mid seven figures annually is plausible. That is a wide estimate range, not a calculated fact, and it covers gross commission income only, not profit after staff, premises, marketing, and operating costs.
TV Income Estimate
This is the section where we have to be honest about a real limitation: there is no publicly confirmed fee figure for Derek Mathewson’s Bangers & Cash appearances, and no reliable, published benchmark exists for presenter pay on smaller factual channels like Yesterday or U&Yesterday. Published UK presenter fee data (BBC talent disclosures, for example) covers major broadcasters and high profile hosts, and applying those numbers here would be misleading since Bangers & Cash operates in a much smaller, regional observational documentary segment.
What can be said with confidence: the show functions as ongoing national exposure for the business, and that exposure almost certainly matters more to Derek Mathewson’s overall wealth than any direct appearance fee, since it drives auction attendance and hammer prices. We’re not going to put a number on TV income here because one isn’t verifiable.
Personal Car and Motorbike Collection Value Estimate
Public reporting (including the show itself) describes a personal collection of roughly 75 classic cars and 50 motorbikes, built up over five decades, much of it acquired well below current market value. Classic car values vary enormously by make, model, and condition, so a single average per vehicle can’t be applied responsibly.
What’s reasonable to say is that a collection of this size, held long term, represents a meaningful paper asset even though it isn’t liquid cash and hasn’t been independently appraised in public.
Property Value Estimate
Mathewsons operates from sites in Thornton le Dale and Pickering, North Yorkshire. No public property valuation, Land Registry figure, or price paid record for these specific sites has been independently confirmed for this article. Commercial premises in that area are not cheap, but without a verified figure, any number here would be a guess, so none is given.
Summary Table
| Asset Type | Basis for Estimate | Confidence Level |
| Auction commission revenue | Trade body vehicle volume figure (3,000+/year, pre pandemic) plus typical UK auction commission ranges | Low to moderate; no confirmed rate from Mathewsons |
| TV appearance income | No public benchmark exists for this channel tier | Not estimable; not included |
| Personal car and motorbike collection | Publicly reported collection size (75 cars, 50 bikes) | Low; no independent appraisal exists |
| Commercial property | No verified valuation found | Not estimable; not included |
| Overall net worth | Based on the above plus wide published estimate range | Low; treat as an estimate range, not a fact |
The honest takeaway: a defensible range sits somewhere in the low millions to mid single digit millions of pounds when you weigh the business scale against the total exemption accounts, though you should treat any figure you see online, including ours, as an informed estimate rather than a confirmed number.
Companies House Data: What’s Actually on Record
Here’s what you can verify yourself, in minutes, on the UK government’s own company register at Companies House (find and update.company information.service.gov.uk), rather than take on faith from any net worth article, including this one.
The Company
The trading entity behind the TV show is Mathewsons Classic Cars Ltd, company number 13388081. It’s registered as a private limited company in England and Wales.
Who’s Actually Listed as a Director
This is where public record and popular assumption part ways. According to the officer list on file:
- David Terrence Mathewson, born July 1972, appointed director on 1 September 2023. Listed occupation: Auctioneer.
- Paul Craig Mathewson, born January 1980, appointed director on 11 May 2021. Listed occupation: Car Dealer.
- Angela Louise Mathewson, born December 1980, appointed 11 May 2021, resigned as director on 31 March 2025. Listed occupation: Administrator.
Derek Mathewson himself does not appear as a current or former officer of Mathewsons Classic Cars Ltd in the public record. That doesn’t mean he has no financial interest in the business, family businesses are often structured across multiple entities, personal shareholdings, or informal arrangements that don’t show up as a directorship. But it’s a factual gap worth being straightforward about rather than repeating the common (unverified) claim that Derek, Paul, and Dave are all listed directors together.
What the Filing History Shows
A few notable entries from the public filing history:
| Date | Filing Type | What It Shows |
| 21 May 2025 | CS01 | Confirmation statement, no updates |
| 8 April 2025 | TM01 | Angela Louise Mathewson’s directorship terminated |
| 10 March 2025 | AA | Total exemption full accounts filed, made up to 31 March 2024 |
| 17 June 2024 | PSC01 | David Terrence Mathewson notified as a person with significant control, effective 14 December 2023 |
| 20 December 2023 | AA | Total exemption full accounts filed, made up to 31 March 2023 |
| 23 February 2024 / 4 March 2024 | AD01 | Registered office address changed (twice, both times to an accountancy firm’s address in York) |
Why “Total Exemption Full Accounts” Matters
Every set of accounts Mathewsons Classic Cars Ltd has filed is under the total exemption category. In practical terms, this means the company qualifies as small enough under UK company law to file accounts without disclosing turnover, profit, or a detailed profit and loss breakdown. It’s a completely legal and common choice for private family businesses, but it’s also exactly why no article, including every one currently ranking for this keyword, can point to a confirmed revenue or profit figure. Anyone claiming otherwise is estimating, whether they say so or not.
The Practical Takeaway
Public records confirm the business is active, family run, and has been operated without major red flags such as strike off notices or insolvency filings. They do not confirm a net worth figure, a turnover figure, or (contrary to what’s commonly repeated online) that Derek Mathewson personally holds a director role in this specific company.
Early Life & Career Foundation
Derek Mathewson was born on October 13, 1951, making him 74 as of 2026. He grew up in Bedfordshire, where Mathewsons started life as a general motor trading business in 1970, selling modern cars and commercial vehicles to retail and trade customers.
Do the math on those two dates and you get a business founded when Derek was around 18 or 19 years old. That’s not a separately reported fact, it’s just what the public record works out to once you line up his birth year against the company’s founding year.
Beyond that, there’s no verified public record of his schooling or formal qualifications. He hasn’t referenced a business education or professional training in any confirmed source, and neither Mathewsons nor Derek himself has published details about his early education.
What is documented is that the business, even in its early years, was already stocked with the vintage and classic cars he was personally drawn to, alongside the everyday trade stock that paid the bills.
In 1988, Derek and his family relocated the business to North Yorkshire. He bought a garage in Scarborough that same year, added a site in Malton in 1990, and took on the Pickering premises in 1992. Through the 1990s, Mathewsons ran two mainstream dealer franchises, Kia and Skoda, while the classic and vintage side of the business grew quietly alongside them.
That vintage focus eventually became the whole business, but that shift is part of the next section.
How Mathewsons Became a Multi Million Pound Business
The Auction Model
For most of its history, Mathewsons wasn’t primarily an auction house. Through the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, it ran as a general motor trader, then as a Kia and Skoda franchise dealer, with classic cars as a side interest. That changed in 2011, when Mathewsons launched its dedicated classic car auction operation from its Thornton le Dale site, a shift confirmed on the company’s own website.
Once the auction model took over as the core business, the numbers grew fast. According to a press release from Air TV, the production company behind the show, Mathewsons “discover and auction over 4,000 classic and rare cars a year,” alongside commercial vehicles, motorbikes, and automobilia.
That figure is a meaningful jump from the “in excess of 3,000 vehicles a year” pre pandemic benchmark cited by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs trade directory, suggesting real volume growth over the past several years.
The auction model works because Mathewsons earns from both sides of a sale: a buyer’s premium from the winning bidder and a commission from the seller, on top of listing fees. Multiply that across thousands of lots a year, from £500 barn finds to rare cars worth tens of thousands, and the revenue compounds even without any single blockbuster sale.
The Bangers & Cash TV Deal Impact
Here’s a correction worth making plainly: Bangers & Cash is produced by Air TV, a Yorkshire based independent production company, not by Silver River Productions, a claim that circulates on other net worth sites but doesn’t hold up against the show’s own production credits. Air TV’s executive producer Andy Joynson has been attached to the series since its commissioning.
The show was commissioned by UKTV for its Yesterday channel and first aired in April 2019, running for 10 episodes in its first series. It performed well immediately, averaging around 341,000 to 342,000 viewers across that first run, according to Air TV’s own reporting and coverage in Classic Car Buyer magazine.
It only grew from there. Series 2, which launched in February 2020, averaged 392,000 viewers with a 2.0 percent audience share, and its final episode pulled in 519,000 viewers, making it, at the time, the most watched factual programme on the Yesterday channel since 2012. UKTV has continued recommissioning the show in large batches ever since, at one point ordering 46 new episodes across four series in a single announcement, alongside further series of the spin off, Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics. The show is distributed internationally by TCB Media Rights.
The financial impact on Mathewsons isn’t published as a direct figure, but the pattern is well documented across industry press: sustained UKTV exposure, growing audience numbers year over year, and a spin off series all point to a business that gets a meaningful, ongoing marketing boost that a similarly sized auction house without a TV deal simply wouldn’t have.
Notable Auction Sales: Real, Dated Results
Most Derek Mathewson net worth articles throw around phrases like “record breaking hammer prices” without naming a single car, a date, or a figure. Here’s what’s actually been reported, with sources and dates attached, from independent classic car trade coverage of Mathewsons sales.
February 8, 2020 Sale
Classic Car Buyer’s coverage of this sale, which saw around 200 classic cars go under the hammer, recorded results including:
- 1961 Rover P4: £7,740
- 1949 Rover P3 75: £8,923
- Morris Minors (multiple lots): £1,550 to £10,965
- 1968 Austin 1100: £3,978
- 1974 VW Beetle convertible: £6,719
- 1973 Lotus Elan +2S restoration project: £5,644
- 1948 Plymouth Business Coupe: £15,319 (£2,500 over its upper estimate)
- 1989 Volvo 740 GLE: £3,763
December 15, 2018 Sale
Mathewsons closed out 2018 with a sale of 200 vehicle lots and 300 memorabilia items. A 1967 Austin 1100 sold for £5,375 against a £3,500 to £4,000 guide price, one of many everyday classics that cleared comfortably above estimate that day.
A Note on “Record Breaking” Claims
Here’s something worth being straight about: no independently verified six figure “record” sale for Mathewsons turned up in public sourcing for this article. That’s not a weakness in the business, it’s a reflection of the model. Mathewsons deals primarily in “everyman” classics, Morris Minors, Fords, Rovers, small commercials, typically selling in the low thousands to low tens of thousands per lot, with occasional standouts. Air TV’s own reporting confirms the volume model: over 4,000 vehicles a year, which points to a business built on consistent turnover across hundreds of affordable lots rather than a handful of headline six figure cars.
If Mathewsons has recorded a genuine six figure hammer price on a rare model, it hasn’t shown up in the independently sourced coverage checked for this piece, and repeating an unverified “record breaking” claim just because other articles do wouldn’t be honest reporting.
Net Worth Growth Timeline
A genuine caveat before this table: no source, public or otherwise, has published Derek Mathewson’s net worth at any specific point in the past. What follows is a timeline of verified business milestones, the actual events that plausibly drove wealth growth, rather than invented net worth figures attached to each era.
| Period | Verified Milestone | Source |
| 1970 | Mathewsons founded in Bedfordshire, trading modern cars and commercial vehicles | Mathewsons’ own company history |
| 1988 | Family relocates business to North Yorkshire; Scarborough garage purchased | Mathewsons’ own company history |
| 1990 to 1992 | Malton site added (1990), Pickering site added (1992) | Mathewsons’ own company history |
| 1990s | Kia and Skoda dealer franchises run alongside a growing classic and vintage sideline | Mathewsons’ own company history |
| 2011 | Dedicated classic car auction business launched at Thornton le Dale | Mathewsons’ own company history; FBHVC trade directory |
| April 2019 | Bangers & Cash premieres on UKTV’s Yesterday channel, 10 episode first series | Air TV; TheTVDB |
| February 2020 | Series 2 airs; audience grows to a 392,000 average, final episode hits 519,000, the channel’s best factual result since 2012 | Air TV press release |
| 2021 onward | UKTV recommissions the show repeatedly in large batches; spin off Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics launches | Air TV press releases |
| 2023 to 2025 | Paul Craig Mathewson and David Terrence Mathewson formally listed as company directors at Companies House; Angela Louise Mathewson resigns as director in 2025 | Companies House filing history |
| 2026 | Show reaches its 13th series, still airing on U&Yesterday | TheTVDB |
The pattern that emerges from verified data alone is consistent: a slow, steady build from 1970 to 2011, followed by a clear acceleration once the auction model and TV exposure combined from 2019 onward. That’s a defensible growth story.
What it isn’t, and what no one can honestly claim, is a year by year net worth figure, because that number has never been made public at any point in this timeline.
Derek Mathewson vs Other Car TV Personalities: Net Worth
A quick honesty check before the table: every name below has the exact same problem Derek Mathewson does. None of these figures come from a confirmed financial statement, a company account, or a personal disclosure.
They’re estimates published across multiple celebrity net worth sites, and when you check several sources for the same person, the numbers often swing wildly, sometimes by a factor of five or more. That inconsistency is worth showing rather than hiding, because it tells you how much weight to put on any single figure, including the ones for Derek himself.
| Name | Show | Publicly Estimated Net Worth Range | Consistency Across Sources |
| Derek Mathewson | Bangers & Cash | £2 million to £10 million | Low; estimates vary by roughly 5x |
| Mike Brewer | Wheeler Dealers | $1.5 million to $15 million | Very low; estimates vary by roughly 10x |
| Drew Pritchard | Salvage Hunters | £1 million to $10 million | Low; estimates vary by roughly 8 to 10x |
Richard Hammond and Fuzz Townshend are commonly listed alongside these names in other articles, but their income sources are structurally different enough (Hammond through Top Gear, The Grand Tour, and a wider media career; Townshend through Car S.O.S. combined with an established engineering background) that a like for like comparison against a single family run auction house doesn’t hold up well, so they’re left out of this table rather than forced into a misleading comparison.
What the Pattern Actually Shows
Every figure above should be read as a range, not a number. What separates Derek Mathewson from the others isn’t a bigger or smaller estimate, it’s the source of his income: a physical auction business generating commission on thousands of real vehicle sales a year, backed by TV exposure, rather than TV income functioning as the primary revenue source. That’s a structurally different (and arguably more stable) wealth model than a presenter whose income depends mainly on a single show’s renewal.
Family: Wife, Sons, Grandchildren
Derek Mathewson’s wife is commonly reported as Sue Mathewson, who appeared in the show’s early series alongside the family. That detail comes consistently from the show’s own coverage rather than an independent public record, so treat it as widely reported rather than formally confirmed, in the same way most of Derek’s personal life is.
His two sons are confirmed through an independent, verifiable source rather than just show credits: Paul Craig Mathewson (born January 1980) and David Terrence Mathewson (born July 1972) are both listed as active directors of Mathewsons Classic Cars Ltd on Companies House, with Paul appointed in May 2021 and Dave in September 2023.
The next generation is also part of the business on screen. Trade press coverage from Classic Car Buyer magazine has referred to grandsons Charlie and Jack as part of the Mathewsons team, with Jack specifically identified in show episode listings as Dave’s son.
Their involvement is documented through independent auction trade journalism, not just the programme’s own marketing, which makes it one of the more solidly sourced family details available.
Beyond that, there’s no independently verified public detail about Derek’s marital status as of 2026, his grandchildren’s ages, or other personal family matters. Where other articles state these things with confidence, they’re typically repeating each other rather than citing a primary source, so nothing further is claimed here.
Cast Changes
Two names come up often in searches related to the show: Sarah Crabtree, the office manager featured in early series (confirmed through independent trade press as “office manager Sarah”), who is no longer part of the show, and Vicki Ivens, a former staff member whose name is frequently searched alongside speculation about her departure. For Sarah Crabtree, her move away from Mathewsons and into other ventures in the classic car space is corroborated by multiple independent sources. For Vicki Ivens, the widely repeated story involving a personal relationship controversy could not be verified against a credible, primary news source during research for this article, so it isn’t repeated here as fact. If you’re looking for that specific story, it’s worth treating anything you find online with real skepticism unless it links back to a named, reputable publication.
FAQs
What is Derek Mathewson’s net worth in 2026?
No confirmed figure exists. Public estimates range from roughly £2 million to £10 million, based on business scale rather than disclosed accounts.
Is Derek Mathewson still married to Sue?
His wife is widely reported as Sue Mathewson, though no independently verified public record confirms their current marital status.
How many series of Bangers & Cash are there?
The show has aired 13 series on UKTV’s Yesterday channel as of 2026, per TheTVDB’s episode records.
Who produces Bangers & Cash?
Air TV, a Yorkshire based independent production company, produces the show for UKTV’s Yesterday channel.
How many cars does Mathewsons sell each year?
Air TV’s own reporting states Mathewsons auctions over 4,000 classic and rare cars annually.
Is Derek Mathewson a director of Mathewsons Classic Cars Ltd?
No. Companies House currently lists his sons, Paul and Dave Mathewson, as the active directors.
What happened to Sarah Crabtree from Bangers & Cash?
She left her office manager role at Mathewsons and moved into other ventures within the classic car industry.
Who is Vicki Ivens on Bangers and Cash?
A former Mathewsons staff member; widely circulated claims about her departure couldn’t be verified against a credible primary source.
When did Bangers & Cash first air?
The show premiered on UKTV’s Yesterday channel in April 2019 with a 10 episode first series.
Does Mathewsons publish its financial accounts?
No. It files total exemption accounts with Companies House, so turnover and profit aren’t publicly disclosed.
Read Also: Chase Stokes Height: 6’1″ (185 cm) Stats & Cast Comparison (2026)
Abubakar Khatri is a content writer who enjoys turning everyday topics and useful ideas into clear, easy-to-read articles. He focuses on creating practical content that helps readers find straightforward answers and useful information. His approach is centered on clarity, relevance, and writing with the reader’s needs in mind.
3 thoughts on “Derek Mathewson Net Worth 2026: [Specific Range] — Full Breakdown”