Sturgess Motor Group Reviews 159

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.

Excellent Service from initial enquiry through to purchase and handover. James at Sturgess Anstey is very customer aware and supportive through exploring options to find your ideal car. Highly recommended to visit James a great experience overall.

Buyer beware. They sold a used Peugeot 2008 to my partner, didn’t inform her of the known issues around wet belts. Didn’t replace the wet belt as standard because it wasn’t due in its service timeframe. Replacing a wet belt is not a cheap job. If she had known that she would need to replace the wet belt she wouldn’t have purchased the vehicle. The wet belt was defective and failed far before the required change date. Warranty won’t pay out as it wasn’t serviced in time. Even if it was the wet belt would have still failed or would have needed replacing. Which should have been highlighted at sale. They quoted half the price of the car to repair. So all round you are better off with the main stream dealerships who look after the customers and the cars. If you need to buy a car from here, take a mechanic or ensure the car you buy isn’t due a wet belt or cam belt anytime soon. Sturgess have done little to rectify the situation. Haven’t even replied to our complaint.
The car you sold was essentially faulty. You took advantage of a pregnant woman to move the stock. Your repair cost was half the amount of the car. Complete scam artists!

Excellent Service from initial enquiry through to handover. Richard at Sturgess Anstey is highly recommended and very knowledgeable. Great experience thank you.

`***AVOID AT ALL COST*** PAID ME TO DELETE PREVIOUS REVIEW.

If I could give Sturgess Hyundai Anstey zero stars, I would. This dealership is a prime example of incompetence, dishonesty and complete disregard for customer safety. Avoid them at all cost.
Here's my horrifying experience:
They sold me a 2019 Hyundai i30 with an outstanding safety recall (a direct violation of DVSA regulations). The recall posed a risk to braking, and they failed to inform me of this at the time of sale, despite being fully aware of the recall themselves (which has been admitted in emails from their Customer Service Relationship manager). Selling a potentially dangerous vehicle is completely unacceptable and illegal under UK Law.

I was sold an "extended manufacturer's warranty" which turned out to be a worthless third-party policy which they will never turn to, as they can't hike up the price of parts by £500-600 a piece if they claim under warranty. This was a calculated deception, taking advantage of me as a young woman who they assumed knew very little about cars. This lack of transparency is disgusting and unforgivable.

Since buying the car, I've had to return it repeatedly for major issues, including:

- A faulty battery (replaced twice - first time they claimed it was the wrong battery but in, which continued to cause the car to die and not start...experienced Hyundai engineers, eh??)
- Incorrect repairs to the clutch by said so-called engineers, resulting in more breakdowns and safety risks.
- A total failure to diagnose and resolve recurring issues, such as a DPF light (which only became an issue after the last visit at their garage).
- Engine management light

When I reported the clutch issues initially, I was insulted by accusations that my driving style was causing the problems - this is on an automatic vehicle with no clutch pedal. Their attempts to shift the blame onto me, rather than accepting responsibility for their poor-quality repairs were completely baseless and carried on throughout an entire almost 3 month ordeal, whilst they continued to feed me excuse after excuse after excuse.

Their service manager Ajay is rude, dismissive and unprofessional. Every interaction with him left me feeling even more frustrated and unheard, especially when he constantly spoke over me. Their entire team is understaffed and undertrained, but instead of fixing these internal issues, they make them the customers problem.

Even after admitting to incorrect repairs that endangered my safety, Sturgess Hyundai refused to take any real responsibility, and somehow felt that a £250 "good will gesture" made up for the countless journeys and days off work I had to take due to their lack of care.

This dealership has caused me nothing but stress, financial loss and worry of breaking down everytime I get behind the wheel. The only thing they excel at is taking your money and washing their hands of all responsibility once the sale is complete (this is clear from multiple other reviews also).

Do NOT trust this dealership with your safety or your money.

And if you're looking for a service plan....spare yourself the pain and go somewhere else! Mine was set up by Cliff, and had so many errors that I ended up almost having to be charged an additional £220 to carry out my first service, as the service history had been typed incorrectly by Cliff (despite my countless corrections). The solution? "Sorry, this staff member is new and we are short staffed and he hasn't had much training" - Another classic example of their internal failures becoming the issue of the customer.

Sturgess Hyundai, shame on you. Your business practises are a disgrace and your total disregard for customer safety is disgusting. I have definitely learned from my mistake and will always warn people against this dealership to avoid having the same issues I have had. Please do not bother with the typical copy paste response of how you are a family run business and "care so much" about your customers, and instead put that time towards resolving your internal staffing issues!