Car Dealer Reviews

A customer-driven review platform for UK car dealerships

Car Dealer Reviews is a British website that collects customer opinions on new and used car dealerships. The platform states that it is one of the few sites of its kind that is customer-driven, with dealership reviews written by real customers who rate a dealer according to their own experience. Its stated purpose is to give future buyers access to first-hand accounts rather than promotional claims.

The site reports that it was established in 2013 and has since helped more than one million car buyers. It currently lists 16,000 dealerships, of which well over 10,000 have real customer reviews attached.

How reviews are submitted and verified

Leaving a review follows a three-step process: the user writes the review, submits it, and the platform then locates the dealership concerned. Submission is presented as taking about a minute and offers three levels of verification:

• Standard
• E-mail verified
• Fully verified

A verified review is described as authenticated and validated, which the platform argues gives the reviewer's words added weight. To obtain that status, the reviewer uploads a photo of the purchase invoice or of the email chain with the dealer. The site presents verification as a way for future users to better understand the dealers they are considering.

Moderation and editorial stance

The team states that it works around the clock to moderate and verify every review, with the aim of ensuring that all of them are fair and honest. The platform frames its role as giving dealerships credit where it is due and holding unsatisfactory ones to account. A disclaimer on the site specifies that opinions expressed in the reviews section belong to their authors and not to the website itself.

Relationship with AutoTrader and industry partners

Car Dealer Reviews reports a close working relationship with AutoTrader, described as the UK's biggest car buying website. As a result, a review left on Car Dealer Reviews could potentially also be published on AutoTrader, where it would be visible to a much larger audience. The platform adds that it is affiliated with some of the car industry's leading authorities and that major names in the automotive sector use its reviews to help their own customers and site visitors.

Search tools and coverage

Dealerships can be searched by name, location or manufacturer, and the search can be narrowed by area and by distance, with radius options ranging from 10 to 400 miles. The site organises part of its directory by city and region, with listings for Bristol, Derby, Doncaster, Essex, Glasgow, Hull, Kent, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Southampton, Stoke, Swindon and Warrington. A parallel section groups dealers by manufacturer, covering Audi, BMW, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, KIA, Mazda, Mercedes, Mini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Seat, Skoda, Suzuki, Toyota, Vauxhall, Volvo and VW.

Additional services listed on the site

Beyond the review directory, the navigation points to several adjacent services: a league table, a search for cars for sale, car leasing and related offers, a vehicle check, a service for selling a car with a price offer, and quotes for Paint Protection Film (PPF). There is also a dealer portal and a form for dealership owners to add a business to the directory.