Sturgess Motor Group Arvostelua 

Walked in and was treated how i expected straight away.
Everything was explained in full and in a friendly tone no sales pressure at all.
Everything i asked for that needed sorting after buying the car was dealt with straight away.
Phone calls were answered quickly and professionally.
I cannot thank Dan & Ben for their great communication at all times.

I purchased a vehicle from this dealership in March 2026 and, unfortunately, the ownership experience peaked somewhere between signing the paperwork and attempting to drive home.

On the day of collection, the vehicle developed an intermittent fault where the engine would randomly cut out. Whilst this may be an exciting feature for fans of surprise and uncertainty, it’s less appealing when you’re driving a two-tonne vehicle on public roads.

I reported the issue immediately and was assured it would be rectified. Four trips to Mercedes, approximately £2,500 in diagnostics and repair attempts, and several months later, the fault remained exactly as committed to the job as it had been on day one.

After multiple failed repair attempts, I exercised my right to reject the vehicle. This is where things moved from “used car purchase” to “low-budget legal drama.”

Ben repeatedly insisted that rejection wasn’t an option and that a “buyback” was the only route available. What followed was over 60 emails, countless phone calls, and enough contradictory information to make me wonder whether different departments were communicating via carrier pigeon.

Eventually, I contacted MotoNovo, the finance provider. They reviewed the situation and accepted the rejection. The dealership appeared to accept this too, before later claiming they hadn’t accepted it at all and that MotoNovo were somehow mistaken. At this point, I felt like I was trapped in a customer service version of Groundhog Day.

Three months later, MotoNovo collected the vehicle despite the dealership continuing to argue the point. Even after the finance company had accepted the rejection, I was still receiving emails proposing a buyback deal that would have left me around £2,000 out of pocket compared to the agreed resolution.

Part of this calculation involved a mileage charge of 59p per mile. When I requested a detailed explanation, I received a breakdown that raised more questions than it answered. I’ve assembled flat-pack furniture with clearer instructions.

I also allowed them to use the service package from my Audi SQ5 part exchange to service the vehicle they sold on. Looking back, that may have been the most successful transaction in this entire saga.

In fairness, there were moments when the dealership was helpful. Unfortunately, these moments seemed to occur with the same frequency as solar eclipses and generally when it suited their position.

Communication was frustrating throughout. Responses were slow, getting hold of the right person was difficult, and every step felt like it required an unnecessary amount of effort.

I’ve dealt with plenty of dealerships over the years, both good and bad. This experience sits comfortably in a category of its own. If you’re considering buying from them, I’d strongly recommend reading the Trustpilot reviews beforehand. Had I done so, I may have saved myself several months, dozens of emails, and a rapidly declining faith in the phrase “we’ll get this sorted.”

The vehicle wasn’t right from day one, the process of resolving it was unnecessarily difficult, and the customer service left a lot to be desired.

I’ve had smoother relationships with broadband providers.

Proceed with caution (My Response after Bens Reply below ) as you can see its is contradiction after contradiction from the dealership.

You state that you were “very disappointed” to read my feedback, particularly given the numerous telephone conversations and emails where an arrangement had allegedly been made to purchase the vehicle back.The problem with that statement is that no agreement was ever completed, no paperwork was ever signed, and no buyback was ever formally accepted by me. More importantly, I was repeatedly told that a buyback was the only option available. As it turns out, that simply wasn’t true.Both MotoNovo and Car Finance 247 made it clear that the vehicle could be rejected through the proper process, which is exactly what ultimately happened. Had I accepted your version of events, I would have been thousands of pounds worse off. Thankfully, I sought independent advice rather than treating your explanation as gospel.The whole “buyback is the only way” argument aged about as well as a pint of milk left on a radiator.

What makes this particularly frustrating is the amount of time wasted pursuing a solution that was never the only solution in the first place. Months of emails, phone calls and confusion could have been avoided had accurate information been provided from the outset.The rejection was accepted by the finance company, the vehicle was collected, and the matter was resolved without the buyback arrangement I was repeatedly told was the only possible outcome.

The facts rather speak for themselves.

Sturgess promise - 'rigorous multi-point inspection' and 'exceptional car-buying experience'
I wished I'd read the one star reviews here before I bought the car and not the 5 star reviews on their website.
I bought and expensive sports car - the car had a low battery warning light when I test drove it.
When I got it home it had a low battery warning light, a split wiper blade and in-operative washers, but that wasn't all...
Less than week into ownership and covering only 150 miles it broke down with massive coolant loss. But for my quick thinking, it would have resulted in catastrophic engien failure. While it was being repaired at a local garage they noticed other problems, engine oil leak, other rotting engine components (one of which had failed and caused the coolant loss).
So I got to deal with Ben Moore (you'll see his name mentioned here a lot).
I don't think its too much to ask to rectify problems or have them checked for severity and reliability, bearing in mind the cost of the car and it had already broken down after a few days of ownership - they were obviously there (if not known) when I purchased the car - and whether they like it or not Sturgess are responsible.

Then after 'cartwheels' and 'handstands' Ben agreed to have the car collected and have it inspected and rectified, if possible, back at their garage.
That's when I found out the engine mountings were 'shot'...
What their 'rigourous multi-point inspection' involves, I have no idea, can't get an answer to that.

Close on 8 weeks after purchasing the car, and having little to no use of it in this period, I finally got it delivered back a week ago - new engine mountings, wipers, functioning washers and fixed oil leak, but guess what? - a 'low battery' warning light!!

I've just given up, really, which I think is what they want - just go away, you've got a car, we've got your money -
So last week I replaced the battery myself (The one one on the car was 8 years old and close to failure - when I went to school charging a worn out battery won't make it good again).

The whole situation has made me very poorly.
I've lost the cost of the battery, two monthe RFL and insurance..not to mention the effect its had on my health.

I think I'm being generous with 2 star review...

I'll never buy a car from Sturgess again, far from an 'exceptional car-buying experience'

My advice - go buy one from somewhere else, even if its the car you want.

Delightful Company to deal with, happy friendly staff, totally professional and couldn't be more helpful. I dealt with Dan who was super efficient and informed about every aspect of the vehicle I purchased and went above and beyond to make sure I was happy with it. A credit to
to Sturgess.

Great customer service from Ben and James very helpful answering lots of questions and helpful and polite at all times .there was no hard sales everything was explained to me and then it was totally my decision to buy or not to buy .. The car was immaculate on collection James even connected my phone up to the car going that extra mile and sorting all on line paperwork transfer s .. too early to say if any issues with the car so unable to comment on after sales . So all in all I highly recommend this garage nip over take a look at there cars … once again thankyou James and Ben

Purchased a Discover Sport from them Sept25. Engine management light came on within a week. They have had the car back multiple times over the last 5 months and light keeps returning and I have been told by them the car is accumulating soot, fobbed off that reason was how I had driven car (after owning it a week). Now 5 months later seen by 3rd party Land Rover dealer who said straight away needs new DPF as blocked. I can't tell if Sturgess are incompetent or intentionally deceptive? Or which is worse? As they are now refusing to cover this!

Bought an L200 through Ben, after changing our mind on a Range Rover. All hassle free and got a great price on a lovely vehicle. Would recommend using Ben Moore at Sturgess. Gentleman.

Fantastic car sales at Sturgess. The team there are very helpful and friendly. I bought a car from them and drove it down south. Had an issue crop up and they were very helpful in fixing the issue under their warranty. The car is brilliant. James Fry was very professional from start to finish and a pleasure to deal with. I would highly recommend using Sturgess. I'm very surprised to see so many negative reviews.

Isn’t it scary how many poor reviews that actually have. Since getting my electric car from them, it’s been one problem after another!!

On my original order, they sold the car which was delivered for me, chassis number and all….

Then I complained to BYD and I received a faulty return car which has been in the garage more times than on the road!

Then, they lose the BYD franchise because they just can’t cope or manage it!
It’s a real shame that they operate in such an underhanded way, that the original Mr Sturgess must be turning in his grave!!!!

A family run business who have no morals, not ethics, no care and no remorse.

If you buy a car from here, you are literally playing Russian roulette with you rights and your expectations.

Be aware and enter at your own peril….

Richard was a really good guy and I enjoyed dealing with him on my car purchase. Cars are always a gamble and you only know how reliable they are going to be over time. If my car does end up being a decent buy I would happily return again to deal with Richard specifically, directly. Thanks again, Richard

Avoid avoid avoid- shocking after sales service with staff who lie and it then be covered up by seniors. Having read other reviews whereby customers are also stating staff lie I feel vindicated to also write about the lies. Also cars being released with faults which should have been sorted prior to sale but again this appears to be the norm on reading other reviews. As a family business I would have thought you would want to maintain a previously good reputation but it appears your staff don’t want to do this and pay lip service to your concerns.
We have previously bought cars when this was a Hyundai specialist and the staff then knew what they were doing. Now all makes of car are sold the staff clearly don’t know how to manage the different makes of car and just bluff their way through things- telling lies as they go. Some of the front line staff need training in honest customer service. You also need to make your staff aware of what maintains a good reputation - it’s not just about selling cars but also about how you make your customers feel- remember this- ‘people will always remember how you made them feel’- we feel let down, disrespected, disappointed and upset by the service given- Never again will we recommend you or ever buy from you again.

I purchased a Lexus NX300 from this dealer in January 2023. It was advertised as 2018 with 31,000 miles, complete check, perfect condition etc. As delivered, I was advised of a 14 day return option if I was not happy with it. I was NOT advised of my statutory right to return it within 30 days if it was faulty, or any other statutory rights if fault was found later. It has also been advertised with roof rails, which were not fitted.
When the car was delivered, I found the mileage was actually 35,000. The reason for the difference was never explained. I suspected a company manager had driven it in the meantime. A 1 year warranty was issued, which appeared to cover faults up to the value of the car. However a separate schedule limited cover to £1000 for any individual claim,
A pressure monitor fault was immediately found. A few days later "hybrid system malfunction" warnings appeared on the dash. I notified the dealer I would like to hand back the car, noting the additional mileage and possible expensive fault remedy. They then offered a £500 price discount and a 3 year warranty. I thought this was far too little if a major fault developed, and rejected the £1000 limit, in favour of the warranty booklet's wording "without limit up to the value of the car." It was not challenged or replied to by the company. They agreed to pay for my local Lexus dealership to diagnose and correct the faults. This amounted to code finding and reset.
For a while there were no further faults. I was happy with it. However, the same faults began to recur on long journeys, sometimes self-correcting when restarted after some time at rest. Two resets were done, with the same fault appearing over time, more frequently. Eventually the fault became constant. This was over 2 years later. I was inclined to surmise someone at the company who drove the car thousands of miles knew and concealed the fault.
I sought to invoke the 3 year warranty. The company either failed to reply to several emails, then tried to push the issue onto a "warranty company" who claimed the warranty had expired after 1 year. As I had all the correspondence to prove otherwise, the 3 year period was admitted but the company still claimed it to be limited to £1000. Meanwhile the Lexus dealership had, after thorough diagnosis, advised the whole gearbox had to be replaced, at a cost of over £4,300. The possibility of serious breakdown driving with a faulty system and having to start a court claim became critical. Rather than pursue the company through litigation, I agreed to pay the balance of the company's £2,500 payment to Lexus.
In my view the company tried throughout to side step their commitments in failing to honour their own warranty terms, failing to communicate within reasonable time and dragging out settlement of a proper warranty claim. I would also warn any future customers to read and if necessary question any restrictions or contradictory wording in their sales and after-sales documentation.

Purchased a VW car, was advised a part needed replacing ( surely would of been better to get fixed before putting on forecourt)
Was told a courtesy car would be provided whilst it was sorted,(by the sales man) this was a lie as no car was given as apparently they stopped offering this service a while ago.
The communication between us & Sturgess was appalling ,we were doing all the chasing , more lies were told regarding parts delivered incorrect twice, timelines for work being carried out stretched. Overall was left without a car at 73 with my disabled daughter, a situation Sturgess were aware of for the best part of 6 days over 2 periods of them having the car back.
In hindsight it would of been easier dealing straight with VW but as the car was purchased within 14 days we felt Sturgess should of taken the lead and looked after us much much better.
For a local garage with supposedly a good reputation I urge you to beware and read All the reviews, as it seems lately we are not the only unsatisfied customers, who will not return.

I purchased a 72-plate BMW 330e from this dealership, and what should have been a straightforward premium car handover turned into a cascade of errors, negligence, and evasion of responsibility.

The alloys were refurbished — a promise kept. However, the tyres were reinstalled incorrectly, with the fronts mounted on the rear axle and vice versa. This resulted in scraping, uneven wear, and £600 of damage that I had to pay for out of pocket. A basic level of mechanical competence should have prevented this entirely.

Worse still, the car was delivered with a significant windscreen chip. I was initially told this would be replaced at no cost to myself. That promise quickly vanished when they attempted to shift the burden onto my car insurance, a blatant attempt to offload their liability. Only after quoting the Consumer Rights Act 2015 was I able to get the replacement done through them — as they were legally obliged to do from the beginning.

Throughout this ordeal, communication was evasive at best and dismissive at worst. I’ve received better customer care from independent garages than I have from this so-called dealership.

If you’re expecting professional standards, accountability, or integrity — look elsewhere. I will not be returning, and I strongly urge others to think twice.

[Edit following Sturgess’s reply:]

Sturgess have replied here saying they’re “sorry to hear about my concerns” — despite being involved in a 20-email thread over three weeks where I’ve spelled out every issue in full. That response is not just dismissive — it’s frankly insulting.

If they’re only just hearing about these concerns now, they either haven’t read a single message or they’re deliberately pretending not to know — neither of which reflects well on a dealer claiming to value customer care.

This kind of bland, pre-written damage control is exactly the problem. They’re not genuinely addressing the issue — they’re just trying to make it look like they are.

Original Review

I bought a VW Golf GTE from Sturgess of Leicester on 25 March 2025, sold to me as a “Sturgess Stamped” used car. This supposedly meant a multi-point inspection by their own technicians, a 6-month warranty, no servicing required within 3 months or 3,000 miles, and brakes and tyres guaranteed to be within acceptable wear limits.

Fast forward just nine weeks, and the vehicle was back with them for a warranty repair to the turbo. It was handed over on 5 June, with promises that the repair would begin on Monday 23 June and be completed “by Thursday at the latest”. The work didn’t even start until Friday morning, and as of writing this review, the car still isn’t back in my possession — nor have I received clear communication.

I’ve now been without the car for 21 out of the 93 days I’ve owned it — that’s over 22% of my entire ownership. I’ve had to extend the hire vehicle repeatedly at my own cost, with vague updates and missed deadlines throughout.

To make matters worse, I’ve since been presented with a Vehicle Health Check (VHC) listing chargeable work on items supposedly covered by their sales guarantees: oil, brakes, and tyres. Either their “multi-point inspection” wasn’t carried out, or it wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. You don’t sell a car with “no servicing due” and then quote for servicing and brake wear within three months.

The most frustrating part has been the lack of communication. Promises made, timelines missed, emails ignored unless chased. Sturgess markets itself as a reputable, long-standing family business. In my experience, the only thing long-standing has been the amount of time they’ve had my vehicle.

I chose them because of their name. I won’t make that mistake again.

I purchased an Xtrail from Sturgess in June ‘24 a returning customer looking for a bigger vehicle and have been plagued with issues, initially in the 6 month warranty but have continued into now 12 months and resulting in a repair bill upwards of £2500 as well as countless phone calls, hours lost from work etc . All the ongoing issues were raised in the 6 month warranty ( DPF ,ECU air con refilled 2 days after collection and quickly emptied but apparently my fault as the condenser is cracked ) They don’t respond to calls, and put all the blame down to the customer. **AVOID DO NOT BUY FROM THEM** poor customer service!!!

3rd time using ansty branch to buy a new car,never again, great selling the car,the after service is rubbish, constantly telling lies,never call you back,faults listed by another dealer,but apparently don't exist, buy at you own risk,never ever again

UPDATE:
After my review below the sales manager got in touch with me and I now have my money back. Such a nice person, helpful and polite. Thank you kindly. Thus, updating the review and from 1 to 3 stars.

I don't write reviews like this unless it has been absolutely poor customer service. I brough a Volvo XC40 car from them in October 2024. The advert said I get two keys, mats and a safety net. None were provided at the time. So, I agreed via email and in person with them that I get them from the Volvo dealership. Finally, after a delay for the net I got it all and wrote to Sturgess in February 2025 to get the money they owed me, total £728.48 but I write to them, and they ignore me. I call them and they give me incorrect email addresses. Buying the car, they were happy to take my money but won't give me what's owed. Terrible, terrible, terrible service and never have I come across any company like this. Next steps as I have waited patiently will have to take them to court to get what is rightfully owed. The only thing they did sort was the warrenty and the breakdown cover which is for 1 year of buying the car. Thank you to Kayleigh who has now left.

Rang them regarding a Suzuki Swift on Thursday and offered to pay to reserve the car until we could view it on the Sunday but was told no need and if anyone else showed an interest they would take their details. Spoke to them again on Saturday at lunchtime to confirm that everything was still good for the Sunday and was told it was. Conveniently they left me a message at the last minute on Saturday afternoon as they were leaving for the day to say that they had sold it! Rang them on the Sunday morning to voice my displeasure and the salesman wasn’t at all apologetic, clearly they don’t care about how they treat people and they even had the nerve to say that if the sale falls through then they would be back in touch! Told them that I wouldn’t buy a car from them after being treated like that. If I’m being cynical having told them that I was a mechanic perhaps they didn’t want to sell us the car for some reason. Perhaps this is the reason they have 51% 1 star rating on Trust Pilot? Having had your reply to my review perhaps you should instruct your sales team that they should tell all potential customers that it is a first come first serve basis regarding your vehicles! I would be intrigued to know what would have happened had they sold the car Sunday morning before we arrived, would you have reimbursed me for my fuel? Will be taking my money elsewhere for a car as I treat my customers with a lot more consideration.

Shocked and extremely disappointed. Bought a 10 month old (ex-demo) car from Sturgess Leicester still under warranty. Since I had it, the passenger side windscreen wiper blade worked but never cleared the rain as it swiped across the windscreen. It made it difficult to see clearly out of the windscreen. I subsequently went to an auto parts shop to buy a new blade and they advised that this particular wiper blade is only available from the manufacturer/authorised dealer.
I then contacted Sturgess Leicester by phone and was merely told to go to my nearest service centre to resolve the issue. So I went to my nearest service centre and ended up buying a new wiper blade. No big deal at the time I thought. Only, when I compared the new wiper blade to the wiper blade that was already on the car, they were completely different. So it turns out someone at Sturgess Leicester had replaced the original with a non-standard, non-original and not appropriate wiper blade. How disgraceful that a dealership would replace parts on a virtually new car (still under warranty) with an inferior non manufacturer's part. It is disgusting. What makes it worse is that I sent them a message about this a week ago and they have completely ignored me. All this headache I had to go through for a wiper blade, shameful. Can't trust what they do to new cars and they ignore you when you raise the issue with them. All for a wiper blade. Note I am a customer who paid them £22,000 for the car. Unbelievable.

Update 3rd April 2025 - You can see from their response that they assert that they could not find my initial communication to them. I find this hard to believe as I received an automated response which confirms they received the communication. Terrible lies from them. They further requested that I email them. I subsequently emailed them the same day (a week ago). Only again they ignored the email completely. I thus sent them yet another email (my 3rd communication to them) today and at last they phoned me this afternoon.

This is where their behaviour gets even more dodgy. Instead of addressing the root cause of the problem (why they change parts on a new car under warranty with sub-standard, non-satisfactory and non-manufacturer approved parts), they instead decided to question me as to why it took so long for me to raise this issue! I was repeatedly asked this!!! They also asked me why I did not hand my car in for it to be inspected!!! Who on earth hands in their car for inspection when the problem is a wiper blade. How disgusting and immature of them. Whenever a wiper blade doesn't work properly, you just go and buy another one and that I what I did. What kind of a company is this that does dodgy stuff to new cars under warranty and then tries to switch issues on to the customer. I spent three quarters of my working day running around trying to get this resolved all because of their dodgy and unethical actions which they are not answering to. I will now be reporting their actions to the manufacturer BYD for which they are the area's authorised dealer. They really thought they could fob me off and I do not think they appreciate the gravity of the situation. They cannot be changing the parts on new / nearly new cars still under manufacturer warranty with dodgy substandard, non-satisfactory parts which make the car not function properly.