• Unique industry initiative is in partnership with Auto Express magazine and Driver Power
• 17 Renault franchises awarded coveted ‘Dealer of Excellence’ status
• Award recognises dealerships that far exceed the manufacturer’s customer satisfaction measurements
• Programme contributes to Groupe Renault UK’s increased focus on customer satisfaction 

Groupe Renault UK has announced the winners of its annual ‘Auto Express Driver Power – Dealer of Excellence’ award programme that is run in association with Auto Express magazine. 

A total of 17 franchises have been awarded the highly coveted ‘Dealer of Excellence’ accolade that recognises the best of the best in the Groupe Renault UK dealer network. The successful dealerships were presented with their awards by Paul Flanagan, Managing Director, Groupe Renault UK, at the manufacturer’s national dealer conference held yesterday in Central London. 

The winning dealerships were initially nominated for the award after significantly exceeding the high standard set by Groupe Renault UK in its own in-house customer satisfaction measurements. Each nominated dealership was shown to be performing within the top-tier of dealers across eight Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that rate sales and aftersales procedures and service. 

Driver Power then sought to independently verify each nominated dealership’s highly-rated levels of care and service by contacting its customers and conducting an in-depth customer satisfaction survey. 

The ‘Auto Express Driver Power – Dealer of Excellence’ programme was established in 2015 and is backed by the expertise of more than 15 years of conducting the annual Driver Power survey, the UK’s largest and most comprehensive independent automotive satisfaction study. It forms part of the manufacturer’s drive to position the Renault brand as a leader in terms of customer experience. Following the creation of the initiative was the announcement of Groupe Renault UK’s new Total Customer Experience (TCE) organisation, which integrates Customer Engagement, Customer Support, Product Support and Warranty. The increased emphasis on customer satisfaction also included the creation of a brand new Customer Journey team, which ensures that Renault and Dacia drivers enjoy the very best care throughout their ownership experience. 

Congratulating the winning dealerships, Mark Crockett, Total Customer Experience Director, Groupe Renault UK, said: “The winning dealers can feel very proud of their teams’ achievements. Our commitment to improving quality and standards across the board has never been higher, and we established this unique partnership and initiative with Auto Express and Driver Power to offer customers a transparent, independent verification of the customer experience our dealer partners are delivering. Customers of the 17 winning dealers can rest assured that they will receive the very best service and their motoring requirements are in the safest of hands.” 

Brian Walters, Director of Research and Insight at Driver Power, said: “For consumers seeking a trustworthy and satisfying sales and service experience, the Dealer of Excellence accreditation is a powerful, independent seal of approval. But consumers aren’t the only ones who benefit from the programme; accredited dealerships benefit from increased customer loyalty and word-of-mouth recommendations.” 

In 2016, Groupe Renault achieved its best ever performance in the Auto Express Driver Power survey for Dealer Aftersales Service Satisfaction, with Renault topping the survey for the first time and Dacia following in second. Across the whole Renault range, customers were on average 94.4 per cent satisfied with their overall aftersales experience at a Renault dealership in the latest survey. 

The significant success in customer satisfaction at dealer level follows Renault vehicles posting their best ever results in the Auto Express Driver Power survey, which is determined purely by the feedback of owners and is the UK’s largest automotive customer satisfaction studies. Out of 183 models from 32 brands, the Renault ZOE and Renault Kadjar finished in second and third overall respectively. The all-electric ZOE, Kadjar crossover and previous generation Scénic/Grand Scénic also won the Supermini, Off-road/SUV and MPV categories respectively, while the Clio took third place in the Supermini sector. 

Dacia also scored strongly in the annual survey, the manufacturer being voted the fourth best manufacturer overall and the Logan MCV – the UK’s most affordable new estate car – winning the Family Car category. 

The exemplary customer service showing also comes at a time when Groupe Renault UK dealerships are exceptionally busy. In 2016 the All-New Renault Mégane and All-New Scénic were launched across the network and Renault UK recorded a five-year high in sales with 85,102 Renault cars being sold and Dacia achieving its best year since launching in the UK with 26,499 sales last year.  

The 17 winning dealerships are:

Bristol Street Motors Gloucester
Bristol Street Motors Nottingham
Bristo’s Limited Ipswich
Harwoods Ryde
Holden Norwich
Lifestyle Eastbourne
Mackie Motors Brechin
Martins Basingstoke
Mitchells Garage Lowestoft
Motorline Ashford
Renault Bolton
Renault Cardiff
Renault Manchester
Renault Romford
Renault Wirral
S.M.C Weybridge
Smiths of Peterborough

ENDS