Group 1 Automotive UK Reviews 

Felt , I was well informed

Booked in for waiting appointment that seemed to run well to the time indicated. All work completed as discussed at time of booking and a clear explanation given on collection.

Disgraceful service, twice I've placed a deposit on cars within Group 1 in the last 2 weeks with the second one having a finance proposal in place only to be told the cars are no longer available.

I will never deal with Group 1 again.Both Nottingham and Liverpool operate very questionable practices in my book. As soon as they think they can sell at a higher price elsewhere they pull the plug.

Was looking at an ID 3 on their sire and notices they had stuck a piece of black tape on the drivers display to hide the efficiency of the car. Looked at other cars at the dealer and every other VW EV (i didn't check non VW cars) had the drivers display either off or obscured. VW have a history of CO2 efficiency defeat devices and these dealers seem to think it's acceptable to hide information from prospective customers. Will certainly not be buying from a business that thinks hiding information is acceptable.

Great service from the staff, and also with Audi Hatfield dealing with my cars servicing needs!

I wouldn't hesitate visiting for any issues I had.

First class throughout from order to handover

Relentless sales manager, intent on getting you to take out finance even though you can pay cash!! They get paid by Black Horse for doing this. Read all paper work thoroughly before signing as we were presented either incorrect details on more than one occasion.

Outstanding Performance and efficiency.i had a sit and wait service nice environment and the time waiting flew past the refreshments and fresh fruit cakes and biscuits were quality. Ellie was he person looking after my service appointment was exceptional a real gem for the business.

10 months ago Group 1 Swindon fitted a new clutch in my VW Golf. That clutch has now failed - it is still within warranty. When I tried to book the car in I was told that the first step was a dignostic test and none were available until October, in three months time. I can't, of course, get by for three months without a car so I have part exchanged it (at a poor price). A three month wait is absurd under any circumstances. In my case it meant that the parts warranty is effectively worthless. At the very least Group 1 should warn clients of this possibility.

Excellent service from Usmann at VW Bolton. Very professional, friendly and helpful.

I am extremely disappointed with my experience at BMW Norwich.

I took my car in for an inspection on 28 May, and I was told that there were no faults apart from a washer repair. The repair cost quoted by BMW was very high, so I decided to have that work carried out by a local garage instead.

I returned for another inspection on 9 July, and this time I was told that my 2025-registered car had significant issues, including claims that paintwork had been carried out previously. This was very surprising and concerning for such a new vehicle.

The day before the inspection, a warning message appeared on my dashboard stating "Driver restraint system restricted." I reported this to BMW as it is clearly a serious safety-related issue. However, instead of investigating it under warranty, I was told that the vehicle showed signs of previous work, including tape being found and components allegedly being tampered with. I have never had any such work carried out on the vehicle.

I was then quoted over £210 per hour simply to investigate the fault, with an estimated four hours of diagnostic work. On top of that, I was told that my warranty had been voided, despite the car being practically new.

This is not the level of service I expect from an authorised BMW dealership. A fault relating to the driver restraint system is a potential health and safety issue and should be taken seriously. Instead, I felt my concerns were dismissed, and I was left facing excessive diagnostic charges and questions about my warranty without satisfactory evidence or explanation.

Overall, this has been a very disappointing experience. I expected professionalism, transparency, and support from an authorised BMW service centre, but unfortunately, I received the opposite.

My experience with Group 1 was worse than terrible. I would strongly recommend finding a good independent dealer instead.
Following my dealings with Group 1, I was left with no car after rejecting it at the point of collection due to previously undeclared damage. What should have been an exciting 21st birthday was completely spoiled.
To make matters worse, I was left with a £6,000 finance agreement in my name because Group 1 were not in a position to settle it promptly with Black Horse. As a result, my credit rating was negatively affected, as I was understandably unwilling to make payments on a vehicle that I neither owned nor took possession of.
It took Group 1 three weeks to return my deposit and an astonishing two months to settle the outstanding finance with Black Horse. During that period, I remained liable for finance on a vehicle that had been rejected and may well have even been sold to another poor soul.
The entire experience caused a huge amount of unnecessary stress and hassle. I would not purchase a vehicle from Group 1 again.

You will find more detail in my complaint submitted to Group 1 below (As yet no response 5 weeks after submission);
Possibly the worst car-buying experience I’ve ever had. Whilst Nigel was helpful, he was let down significantly by the company’s product and processes. My complaint has several elements, ultimately resulting in a ruined 21st birthday surprise for my daughter and damage to my credit rating. First, the volume of correspondence was excessive, 55 emails to purchase a car. I recently bought a house with less communication. Second, the condition of the car at collection was unacceptable. I expected normal wear and tear (minor chips, marks, and minor kerbed wheels) but also expected it to be clean and accurately represented. Instead, the car had: Damage to the rear bumper and a scuff on the rear corner - A significant dent in the passenger door - A badly marked bonnet, as though it had been sanded with a 120 grit sanding pad! - Dirty outside, and stained seats inside None of this was evident in the video provided, which was poor in quality and lacked any mention of these issues. I was also told the fuel tank would be filled if I completed the purchase before month-end but it was running on fumes (Which is a bad show at the best of times!). I refused the car at collection via Connor, who appeared equally embarrassed. It also seemed the car had been kept in the showroom overnight to allow last-minute cosmetic work 'to dry'. The refund process was equally frustrating. Despite promptly providing the V5, it took weeks to return my £3,999 deposit, despite being told it would be refunded the same day. Finally, the £6,000 paid via Black Horse finance remains outstanding. As I do not have the vehicle, I will not make payments, and this situation is now impacting my credit rating. Black Horse have chased you a number of times for payment now... I have worked in sales for over 35 years - We don't always get things right, I totally get that. But it’s how a company deals with a problem is how you will be judged. I expect this matter to be resolved urgently.

I ended up buying a car from a fantastic independent dealer who could not be more helpful. The car was very well presented, but the garage owner apologised for its appearance as it had rained overnight leaving a dusty layer. The dealer insisted any imperfections were dealt with before collection and the car machine polished. Same car, year, similar mileage and price but an entirely different buying experience from a business that takes pride in what they do - I'll buy there again.

Audi Cheshire Oaks: very poor sales team service. Messed around with backtracking over things said at several points during the process of trying to by a used car from them. After several phone calls and trying to rearrange things on my side to fit in with their processes I was then told they couldn’t sell me the car as someone had just come in and bought it, this despite being told earlier that day that the car had been put on hold so no one else bought it whilst we were discussing arrangements for purchasing it. Very unhappy. Do not recommend.

Mercedes of Hertford.
What a fantastic experience!
Simon in sales was outstanding, nothing was too much effort.
Had a small warranty issue which was handled brilliantly by Liam Gallagher in service...super quick and efficient, most grateful for the help.
Cannot recommend this dealership enough.

These people are rude, and untrustworthy. They continually try to evade their Kia 7 year warranty obligations. Their charges are astronomical. The worst aspect is their 'Aftersales' manager who is hired only to get you of their hands as soon as possible. 'Smarmy' so you dont notice it for a while. Much better service at JCB in Northfleet.

I received an email from my local Porsche garage reminding me that my MoT is due soon. They have done this every year for this car, for the last 12 years.

So I phoned them to book the MoT. Apparently they won’t be doing any MOT’s for the next 9 months because the site is having a major refurbishment, and the lift that they use for the MOT’s isn’t available.

So I asked why had they sent me, and not doubt other customers, an email invitation for a service that they can’t currently provide. This was dismissed as just an automatically generated email, as if they don’t really count.

So I asked where are their customers going for MoT’s now. Guildford or Bournemouth was the reply, both about an hours drive, instead of 10 minutes.

Guildford Porsche Centre responded very quickly.

Bournemouth Porsche Centre acknowledged my request for an MoT on 30 June, with all the ‘we will be in touch shortly…..’ on the 9 July 2026 I still haven’t heard from them.

Porsche garages used to provide a premium service, admittedly at a premium price!

Maybe they are not interested in cars that require MoT’s, too old!

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Having read the feedback, you have missed the point and waffled on about something else.

The point being that your process/system had failed when Porsche Centre Bournemouth acknowledged my request and then failed to contact me/ act on it.

The timing of your response is interesting, as it was minutes after my car had passed its MoT at an independent garage. My son phoned a friend on Monday and my car was tested first thing Wednesday morning.

I normally hate buying a car but I must say Group 1 made the experience laid back. They went out of their way to find a car that met my needs. The sales staff seemed relaxed and helpfull. The customer service was good. Would re-visit.

Great service again from Bolton VW
Collecting my new car was a lovely experience
The car was in the delivery suite looking pristine
Always use this dealership

Great service from Vernon who helped us with our new car purchase and made the whole process so simple.

Recently took my new Toyota back to have the Dashcam’s fitted and was welcomed by a young chap called Tyler who made me feel welcome. Tyler outlined the work schedule and timings and made sure I was comfortable. The work was carried out in a prompt fashion and to a very high standard. The thing that stood out was Tyler spending time to not only run through the new Dashcam settings and app, but also spent time going through some other key things on the car itself. Big, big thanks to Tyler, this is what customer service should be like.