Unit One Automotive Reviews 6

TrustScore 3.5 out of 5

3.3

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Company details

  1. Car Dealer

Written by the company

Unit One Cars, Premium Used vehicle dealers located in West Sussex. We want to be the number one trusted used car retailer in the South East. At the heart of Unit One is customer care. We don’t just aim to please; we want you to love us. With many years’ experience within franchised dealers, we understand the customer journey and frustrations associated; we are here to take those away and make it one to remember for all the right reasons. Repeat business and customer recommendations are the foundation of our business. Stock? We only sell the very best. We buy our stock from a variety of trusted sources and only buy top quality cars with a proven history. We are always looking for stock so if you have a car you are thinking of selling, please fill out the online form and a member of the Unit One team will be in touch.


Contact info

3.3

Average

TrustScore 3.5 out of 5

6 reviews

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Very poor experience with UnitOne

Very poor experience with UnitOne — I would strongly advise caution.
I purchased a Defender from them in October 2025 and Less than 10 days the engine warning light came on. I also noticed the car vibrated when braking. At the same time, I was told on purchase that a windscreen crack had already been repaired, but when I took the car back they then said it needed repairing as it was spreading — all within the first couple of week. I ended up paying to fix this myself at Halfords instead of them.

When I returned the vehicle for the first repair, I was told it had no AdBlue and had to purchase it from them for over £40 — something you wouldn’t expect so soon after buying a vehicle.
I reported the mechanical issues immediately and the car was taken in for a week. Within 10 days of getting it back, the same problems returned. On the next visit, I was told the brakes were warped and needed replacing at a cost of over £700. I refused, as this was clearly a pre-existing issue. They declined to cover it, saying it wasn’t under warranty.
In total, I gave them three chances to fix the engine light. On one occasion, I was even charged £125 for an “engine clean,” with the explanation that the fault was due to me not driving the car enough — which is completely unreasonable.
During the time the vehicle was in their possession, over 1,000 miles were added to the clock. Each time I questioned this, I was told it was given to the staff member who lived the furthest away to commute so that they could driven long distances for testing. 😑
Despite this, they are now attempting to deduct mileage usage costs from me.
After multiple failed repair attempts and several 100+ mile trips, I was not provided with a courtesy car, especially once I made it clear I intended to reject it.
I’ve also noticed from other reviews that the company sometimes responds by focusing on the customer rather than addressing the issues raised. If you feel you’re being misled or treated unfairly, it’s only natural to be frustrated.
Overall, while the cars may look good on the surface, I strongly recommend getting an independent inspection or shopping somewhere else.before buying. If something goes wrong, expect a stressful and costly experience.

Oh and the MOT and service, completely by their on-site garage.
This is why you get 1st service free, but do you trust them? I don't this just means that they can doctor their paperwork.

I attempted to escalating this matter to the Motor Ombudsman to find out they are not registered with them. 🤔

25 March 2026
Unprompted review
Unit One Automotive logo

Reply from Unit One Automotive

Thank you for your review.

We must respond firmly, as a number of the claims made are factually incorrect and present a misleading account of both the vehicle and our handling of this matter.

Prior to purchase, you requested a full diagnostic scan of the vehicle, which we were happy to carry out. This showed no faults whatsoever—neither active, pending, nor historic. You also informed us that you intended to take the vehicle to Land Rover for a comprehensive inspection, and to purchase a Land Rover Approved warranty. A few weeks after purchase, *you* confirmed to us directly that the vehicle had passed with flying colours at Land Rover and thanked our team for the high standard of preparation.

It is important to note, you chose not to purchase a warranty, or indeed any kind of additional cover from our Team.

We need to clarify that the concerns you have raised did not arise “within one week,” as stated in your review. The first report of an engine warning light and brake vibration was made approximately nine weeks after purchase and after several thousand miles of use. It was at this point that you made us aware you had also chosen not to purchase the Land Rover warranty after all.

When these concerns were brought to us, our diagnostic Team of Land Rover qualified Technicians investigated them promptly. Fault-finding confirmed that the engine warning light was caused by a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) blockage. Based on the driving pattern you described to our team—primarily frequent, very short journeys—this is entirely consistent with usage and not indicative of any fault with the vehicle. This was explained to you clearly at the time, and you were advised that the vehicle may not be suitable for that type of use. Our team were able to clear the blockage, however you were made aware it will happen again if the driving pattern is not modified. Whilst this was not covered by warranty, this was done under goodwill as you had only had the car a little over 2 months at this point.

Your assertion that the braking issue was pre-existing is not supported by any evidence. Brake components are wear-and-tear items, and no fault was identified at the point of sale or during subsequent inspections that would make this a warrantable issue - in fact the brakes had very minimal wear when the vehicle was sold. This was again also supported by your own independent inspection at Land Rover.

We also refute the statement regarding “rusty brake calipers.” As part of our preparation process, the calipers were professionally refurbished cosmetically and finished in silver. The images are still available on our website under "sold stock". Similarly, there was no undisclosed bodywork repair or “windscreen crack”. The vehicle had only a minor chip to the windscreen, which had already been professionally repaired prior to sale - and was advised on the previous three MOT tests.

We also note that by the time any of these issues were raised, the vehicle had been significantly modified by yourself, both internally and externally, including a full exterior colour change. The brake calipers had been very poorly painted in red, as well as the brake pads. This further limits our ability to accept liability for subsequent issues.

Any mileage incurred while the vehicle was in our care was for diagnostic and road testing purposes to properly investigate the concerns you raised.

At every stage, we acted reasonably, transparently, and in good faith, providing multiple opportunities to inspect and address your concerns. The suggestion that you were unsupported or misled is simply not an accurate reflection of the service provided. We do not even have an MOT station on site - all tests are carried out by a fully independent MOT station.

We understand that you have also complained to the finance provider. The complaint was not upheld by them, which is understandable given the timeline of events, and the care and attention we have provided since purchase.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great service and easy to deal with

Bought my Land Rover Discovery from Unit One about 7 months ago. Very easy to buy from and very pleased with the car. Also bought the 2 year warranty. Last weekend the drivers window dropped due to a window regulator fault - apparently a common fault and all replaced under warranty in less than a day. Thank you for great service.

10 February 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great Car - Great Service

Purchased my BMW X5 from Darren & Dragos. They whole process was great from start to finish, plus the car was stunning.

I have had a couple of minor issues but nothing you wouldn't expect on a 6 year old car. The aftersales team got me in straight away and sorted them.

Overall a great experience and would highly recommend.

2 January 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

BEWARE ANY NEW BUYERS ….All that…

BEWARE ANY NEW BUYERS ….All that glitters is certainly is not gold at this car garage. Bought a Land Rover Discovery Sport HSE luxury with only 39,000 miles on the clock. Lovely looking car until after 6 months and under3,000 miles the turbo needs replacing. Bought Unit Ones gold warranty for £2000 and was told by sales person covers ALL major parts ???? Guess what the only major part it doesn’t cover is the turbo. So the warranty is an expensive piece of paper and it doesn’t state in the warranty this is not covered. So people out there be VERY aware of this garage yes it glimmers and glitters but remember check out the mechanics of the car. Not the only customer who has experienced this with a major expensive problems with there prestige cars 🤣 laughable check out ALL the reviews wish I had. £3500 for Land Rover turbo a lot of expensive for 6 months of driving!!! Unit one gave breakdowns for Mitsubishi parts and re newed NO NO it’s a Land Rover omg alarm bells ring. Contacted Land Rover and they advised it should be Land Rover parts So Neil general manager offers £900 plus… great we think but oh no we had to use there garage or no money very strange why as we are paying over £2500 the majority of the work. We trust our mechanic plus spoken to a master tech about this words fail me as this turbo would have had issues when the car was sold to us. So Neil withdraws the offer.
JUST BE CAREFUL WHEN PURCHASING FROM THIS COMPANY. Out of pocket of £3500 for turbo plus a warranty of £2000 that is rubbish = £5500 down great 6 months driving
IN RESPONSE TO YOUR REPLY
At no time was I abusive annoyed yes but not abusive so that needs to be addressed. And I think if I am paying out lots of money I have the right to choose the garage . Yes the car was shiny and gleaming but we customers are charged £199 for preparation. The saying all that gleams is not gold is true. Seeing lovely shiny cars can make you fall into that trap but remember people out there the shiny and gleaming is no good if majority parts go within 6 months of purchasing, Look on trust pilot and look down at other reviews this is not the first car major work has needed to be down after purchasing from Unit One

30 January 2026
Unprompted review
Unit One Automotive logo

Reply from Unit One Automotive

Thank you for your review. Here at Unit One Automotive, we believe it is important to clarify the facts for transparency. Our customers come first and foremost - and we try to fundamentally ensure that we treat every customer as we would want to be treated ourselves. This is evident from the huge numbers of 5* reviews and positive feedback we receive regularly.

The item in question — the turbocharger on your vehicle — was not covered under the third-party warranty policy, as clearly outlined in the warranty documentation supplied at the time of purchase, which you were made fully aware of. Coverage decisions are made solely by the warranty provider and are outside of our control.

Despite this, and although the vehicle had actually been owned for approximately seven months and nearly 4,000 miles, our Team went above and beyond by offering to shuffle other work loading, collect your vehicle free of charge from your "repair centre", and provide three repair estimates, all calculated at a heavily reduced trade price, including both remanufactured and brand-new turbocharger options, to help reduce your costs.

As a further gesture of goodwill, our Senior Leadership team also offered a £900 contribution towards any of the three repair options, despite having no legal or contractual obligation to do so at this stage of ownership - in order to ensure you were happy and so you knew and could appreciate they had really gone the extra mile.

It was also clearly explained that Mitsubishi manufactures the turbochargers used by Land Rover, which is standard practice within the automotive industry. Clearly - they are not from another Mitsubishi Vehicle. Land Rover do not manufacture their own turbochargers on this vehicle. This is the same regardless of where you source the unit from.

Additionally, Unit One Automotive employs a team of JLR-qualified technicians who work on Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles every day, ensuring all advice and options provided were based on manufacturer-level expertise and knowledge.

The vehicle was supplied in stunning condition, having undergone a very rigorous pre-delivery inspection, and no reported faults at the time of sale. We strongly dispute the claim that this issue would have been present at the point of sale, as there is no evidence to support this - in fact your report of a "sudden failure" would indicate that the fault was clearly not present nearly 4000 miles ago.

You returned to us for a DAB radio fault which was checked after 2600 miles of ownership - in fact there was no fault but our Aftersales Team were able to show you how to set and scan for the regional DAB stations in your area. You were very happy with this and reported no other faults with the vehicle at this time.

Unfortunately, despite everyone's best efforts - it was clear that whatever our team did, they could not exceed your expectations on this occasion, and this is a real shame.

Communication from yourself became abusive towards our team who were trying to assist you, and all phone calls have since been reviewed. The level of aggression was quite upsetting to our team members who were simply trying to offer various options to help you - and we simply cannot allow this.

Unit One Automotive does not tolerate abuse towards its staff under any circumstances. As a result, the goodwill offer to inspect the vehicle, confirm the diagnosis, and carry out the repair at a significantly reduced cost were understandably withdrawn after the phone calls were reviewed.

Unit One Automotive remains committed to professionalism, transparency, and high standards of customer service. Our verified customer feedback reflects this, and we remain open to constructive and respectful dialogue if you would like us to review the vehicle.

So far our Technical Team have not yet been allowed to inspect the vehicle to confirm there is indeed any fault with the vehicle, and that it has been correctly diagnosed.

Many thanks - The Unit One Team.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

A Pleasant Experience

Popped into “Unit One” to look at a couple of cars and found ourselves quietly impressed. Not the largest independent out there however their stock was very well presented and quite selective. The salespeople were friendly and not pushy and very happy to let us browse and answered all the questions we asked.
We returned for a ‘Test Drive’ and there were no issues and whilst we didn’t go ahead with the purchase (didn’t quite have the wow factor) - it was not a problem. Will definitely go back should the need arise.

7 November 2025
Unprompted review
Unit One Automotive logo

Reply from Unit One Automotive

Great to hear that you enjoyed the experience - we look forward to helping when you need your next car - thank you! The Unit One Team :)

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Seriously diabolical company what reputable company

Seriously diabolical company, bought a Range Rover £30.000 paid cash for it 4 months later the break pads need changing the alternator and battery have gone!!!! What sort of cars are they selling and what sort of checks do they do total waste of time and money scammers, all that shines and twinkles in the show room is not gold!! Cowboys the lot of them

26 November 2025
Unprompted review
Unit One Automotive logo

Reply from Unit One Automotive

We are sorry to hear that you were disappointed with Vehicle that you purchased from us. We do not feel that this review is reflective of the service that you received from our car ales department, the preparation of the vehicle or your aftersales experience.

You have not mentioned in your review that you had a few issues on your vehicle within the first month of ownership - a leaking coolant pipe from the coolant reservoir, and a distorted b pillar trim - all of which were covered under our back to base warranty which comes as standard if customers chose not to upgrade to our gold warranty - which you chose not to do. You also asked us to check the effectiveness of your air con, which had no issue.

At this point within your first month of ownership, according to our invoice records, you had covered 3,000 miles. You must have really been enjoying this car.

Three and a half months after the original purchase you got in contact with us to let us know your brake pads required changing, not really surprising if you had kept up your strong mileage over the intervening months - brake pads are considered a wear and tear item - we ensure you will be fine for at least the first three months or 3,000 miles of motoring (whichever comes first) when it comes to brakes, tyres and servicing. This obligation was really fulfilled by the time we had carried out your warranty work, and at the point you reported the brake pads were low, you had covered a little over 10,000 miles since purchase. We priced the job for you and you booked in with us - we had all your parts here and were ready to go but on the day you did not turn up and did not return our calls to find out where you were - we had even prepared, fuelled and cleaned a courtesy vehicle for you.

You then called again a week or two later and asked to book it in again as you had an issue with your alternator and battery. Despite the fact you had not shown up for your first appointment with us on the brakes and never contacted us or explained why, our senior service advisor assisted you.

By this point your vehicle was over a little over a month and 9000 miles out of your standard warranty you opted for, however you informed us that you now had another warranty with a third party that you wish to claim under.

Our team have said that they would help you as much as they can to ensure that the diagnosis is correct and confirmed. Again you did not turn up with your car for the team to look at, so they were unable to assist, once again.

It would appear that despite our best efforts as a business - you have presumably been let down by your own third-party warranty, which we can only assume has not covered the repair. As an aside - our Gold warranty, which you opted not to take, would have covered this repair in full.

Having seen your previous reviews (all one star) for other businesses - we can only presume we were next in line to receive this feedback, and despite it's inaccuracy, we remain happy to help and resolve your vehicle if you would like assistance, so please do get in touch.

All the best - the Unit One Team.

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