Group 1 Automotive UK Reviews 

Last August, I found the car I really wanted, so I forked out nearly £20k for the car which declared it was perfect, 47k miles and came with full service history. £700 for the RAC warranty for extra peace of mind.

4 weeks in to ownership, the coolant pipe split having rubbed on the battery box. Breakdown guy immediately said "this has been in a minor collision" - Group One fixed the car no questions asked. I asked for the service history and was told it was online. Only the first three services were on there so it was missing about 6 years worth of history. This situation was resolved very quickly and all involved were amazing. The car received a service on the 4wd box just to be sure it was up to date. No complaints up to now.

Fast forward to May and a feint grinding noise coming from the rear. Took to Group One who advised Rear Differential needs replacing, but a change of oil may have an impact. Paid £127 for the oil change to be done only to be told it still needs replacing (I have received many raised eyebrows about this oil change and how it is a total waste of money if the part has failed). Was advised that it couldn't be done at that branch because they don't have the correct tools and would need to be done at a VW garage. To keep it within Group One, the nearest VW branch was about 1 hour away. I was also advised that it should be covered under warranty.
Took the car to this branch of Group One. Got a call within 1 working day saying "Rear Diff needs replacing, we have submitted a claim to RAC, but we will only use new VW parts and they want to use refurbished/reconditioned parts. They also wanted to know why the other Group One didn't do it "anyg branch of Group One can do it". Called RAC who advised it clearly states this in their T&C's so Group One advised they can't proceed and to collect the car.

A comment made by one of the two branches said "This is quite a common fault on these cars". When I asked why I wasn't told about it, the comment back was "well, you wouldn't have bought the car". This, so far, had taken almost 3 weeks up. The car then spent a further 5 weeks at another garage being fixed, partially being held up by a "token claim" for a fictious labour time made on the warranty by Group One for the rear diff.

I called Group One head office during the time it was in their dealers and was advised it was "wear and tear" - this is not wear and tear, the part has failed at least 50k miles too early. Since this call, I have sent emails, letters and called:

11/6 e-mailed - NO REPLY

6/7 letter sent to head office, delivered 9/7 1053 - NO REPLY

9/7 - email with copy of letter - NO REPLY

9/7 - called - was assured a call back - NO REPLY

10/7 - email asking for update - NO REPLY

10/7 - called - "I will catch up with you next week" - NO REPLY

17/7 - email asking what is going on - NO REPLY

18/7 - email asking for update -NO REPLY

A case has been opened with the Ombudsman as Group One have failed to stick to their own promises made on their website 1. Stating they carry out "multi point assessment on used cars" 2. "we will endeavour to resolve your complaint within 5 business days." - but they have been given ample opportunity to sort this out. No doubt now, a generic comment will be made on this review by group one saying "please contact us and tell us more information." Before you do that, please read the letters and emails you have received from me - it is all in there, including my contact details.

The RAC warranty has paid out for about two thirds of the claim, the rest of the amount (around £970) I had to pay myself. All because of a part failing that shouldn't have failed. So far, I am about £1200-£1300 out of pocket.

The car went to Group One to be fixed, but they clearly didn't want to do the job at either place - and they clearly don't know enough about the warranties they sell with used cars. Had they actually known what the warranty covers, they could have said right at the very beginning "sorry, we won't be able to fix this, you need to take it elsewhere" which would have saved 3 weeks and hours of driving about for nothing.

The sad thing about it is - the majority of their staff are fantastic and were so good helping to resolve the initial complaint last year - but now they really don't care.

Will you now actually contact me please?

While everyone comes across very friendly and lovely, once you find an issue it's an uphill battle of endless calls, conversations and stress.

I purchased my car in 2024. It had been traded in to Group 1 Ford by the previous owner.

Everything seemed fine on paper and all the legal checks had been done, but I found I had issues with my car a few months in (which they have on record). To cut a story short, I brought this to multiple garages to check the issue over 2 years, to be told the issue had been sorted (although it never was).

This year, I finally find out what's causing the issue. The bumper had been glued on with sticky pads and glue gun, and this was causing an issue with the front sensors (which I now have a picture of, for anyone interested in seeing the absolute mess).

I flagged this to Group 1 Ford, who after running around the mill with different sales managers, that because I can't prove the bumper was in this condition when I purchased the car, they won't take any action in fixing this. Bear in mind that I only found this out when 1 garage was able to tell me what could have potentially caused the issue. Surprisingly, not many people take their bumper off when purchasing a car to check for issues.

I'm now having to take legal action against the dealership and spending countless hours chasing the different garages to prove the car was in this condition when purchased. I even asked the sales manager if they had any record of how the bumper was when it came in, and they just said they have all the legal checks done and it's on me to prove this issue.

This all being said - if you do purchase from Group 1 Ford (which I now STRONGLY advise against), please check everything - especially if it's been traded in. They will say all the legal checks are done, but truly, ask to see under the hood if you want to avoid a lengthy legal battle where they will try to avoid any accountability.

Exceptional and professional Sales and Support Team.

Sally at Chester dealership has recovered my review from poor. She has been super helpful, gone out of her way to make my life easier with the hiccups encountered with my repairs (3 attempts at fixing an issue that has thrown up an engine management light, including not having the diagnostic equipment available and not having the part on the shelf)! She has gone out of her way to help.

Staff were very polite, professional and efficient

I took my car in for a scheduled service along with a recall repair. A few days before my appointment, I received a call saying they didn't yet have the required part, but still asked me to drop the car off early in the morning. This didn't make sense, so I suggested rescheduling until the part had arrived. I was told the part was "in transit," so I went ahead with the appointment.

The dealership kept my car for two days, only to tell me that the part still hadn't arrived and that I would need to book another visit. This could have been avoided with better planning and communication.

When I returned for the second appointment, I explained that the extra visit was only necessary because of their mistake and asked if they could at least provide me with a lift home. They refused. As a result, my partner had to drive with two cars from Harrow just so I could get back home, causing unnecessary inconvenience.

Overall, the experience was disappointing due to poor communication, wasted time, and a lack of customer service.

🤝 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🤝
Excellent. Professional Team. High Quality Services. Promptness and Loyalty to Customers. Reliable and 10/10 Results. Efficient and very Helpful. I Recommend. Many Thanks to the TOYOTA Team.
🤝 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🤝

The salesman and manager were very helpful and nothing was too much trouble.

Very pleased
Ml

Jaguar Service Centre Guildford.
My car was recovered to this service centre after a breakdown.
For two weeks I was consistently lied to about what was happening with my car.
Fake activities, no diagnosis.
No calls returned unless I chased for days.

They seemed oblivious that the Jaguar In Control app told me what was happening with my car.
It was left for so long it went into sleep mode.

Eventually, they diagnosed my car with a long list of ‘stabs in the dark’ that were the most expensive things they could think of.
For a premium car with 37k miles.

I had my car removed to an independent.
They found parts of the engine inside the boot and other parts missing.

Terrible service from start to finish.

The only saving grace was Sue in the showroom and Stephen on service. Both of whom seemed genuinely embarrassed.

The car has been fixed for a fraction of the cost quoted and without the parts Jaguar insisted were necessary.

Group 1, you should be ashamed of this centre.

I had a fault c my car 2 weeks before it was booked in for service and MOT. All handled really well...by Jess...and got the car back with all work 2 weeks early !!

Shocking customer service !

Little to no communication from the staff on the desk re. How long my car was going to be in service for .
Had to return to get my wing mirror case ( which had come off previously ) fitted , but I was the one chasing them to see if the part had arrived etc .
On the my invoice from my original service I was quoted £24 cheaper for the fitting of the part than what I was charged for on the day ( I hadn’t realised until I got home and saw the previous invoice )

From then on , I’m again chasing the refund back

Considering I bought the car from group 1 Peterborough initially I certainly won’t be going back for any future services

Frustrating and disappointing !

Elected to wait during service and MoT. Wait was longer than usual as MoT was booked to start before service an brake pad replacement. Next available MoT was unfortunately much later so wait was longer than expected Was kept well informed.
Waiting area comfortable, coffee great.

Nothing more to add to the survey.

Excellent company, took in Toyota Yaris Hybrid for a free battery check. Had a free coffee while I waited for 30 minutes. Engineer reported the battery was fine, just needed a full charge. If any problems arise in the future, to return for maybe a replacement battery. Member of staff showed me back to my vehicle

Every time I take my vehicle and it gets all sorted the staff up all welcoming and polite I’ve had no issues ever since I’ve been going into Audi and my vehicle gets done with no issues at all

I took my car in for it's first service. I was dealt with promptly and courteously. My car was returned to me within 90 minutes. Washed and vacuumed.

Undisclosed poor-quality repairs, ignored by management, matter being referred to Ombudsman
My daughter purchased a Mercedes-Benz Approved Used vehicle from Mercedes-Benz Hertford (operated by Group 1 Automotive). Shortly after purchase, we discovered extensive, poor-quality paintwork and fitment issues at the rear of the vehicle that were not disclosed before the sale.
The rear bumper has a visibly mottled, rough finish and a noticeable colour mismatch. It was also not clipped in correctly, causing uneven gaps around the boot and light fitting. An independent inspection confirmed that the left-hand side had been resprayed very poorly. How these sub-standard body repairs were ever deemed acceptable on a car sold under the Mercedes-Benz Approved Used scheme is shocking.
We legally rejected the vehicle shortly after purchase, but Mercedes Hertford refused to provide a refund. We have repeatedly requested the Approved Used inspection and preparation documents to see how this vehicle supposedly met Mercedes-Benz standards. These have still not been provided, and our requests are being ignored.
We have contacted the dealership, senior management, Mercedes-Benz Customer Advocacy, and Group 1’s dedicated complaints department. Our final correspondence gave them a clear deadline to respond. That deadline has passed, and we have been completely ignored. I fully expect a generic response beneath this review asking me to contact their complaints department. To be absolutely clear: we have already done that repeatedly, and your complaints department has ignored us. Asking us publicly to contact a department that refuses to respond privately is a PR tactic, not a resolution.
I strongly advise prospective buyers to read the other one-star reviews on Google. Since this dispute began, I have seen several reviews describing worryingly similar experiences involving previously resprayed or repaired vehicles, undisclosed defects, refused refund requests, and customers struggling to obtain any response.
When the car was briefly left with them a week after purchase for other issues, it was also returned with new scratches. I was promised a phone call from Lee Taylor the next morning; unsurprisingly, he never called.
The matter is now being formally referred to The Motor Ombudsman. This has been an extremely stressful and disappointing experience. Once they have your money, they simply do not care. How Mercedes-Benz head office allows this branch to damage their brand reputation like this is baffling, and Group 1 head office complaints department ignoring a dispute of this seriousness is even worse.

Appalling, when I had to investigate a problem, (Warrenty item satisfactorily carried out at same time) I had to wait over 45mins to get my key back!!!
The agent said parts would be needed and she would phone me same day and confirm next day by email when the work could be carried out. Neither happened!! Around 3 months later I had a call to say the parts were in, unbelievable. They had also not carried out a recall item which was included in the booking. As I had not heard I contacted Mercedes Bedford who rectified the problem by means of a software update ( No parts needed), and arranged the recall item which was again carried out, without delay. This is not the first problem I have had with this dealership and consequently travel some distance for another dealership to deal with any problems.