Charles Hurst Group Reviews 

Car has a oil consumption issue. Has been back to dealer several times since August with no answers or fixes. Warranty runs out on Saturday 29/11. Imagine starting a warranty 2 weeks before you get the car. I raised a complaint nearly 2 weeks ago. They acknowledged it on a phone call. But heard nothing since. I'm doing all the chasing as neither budget direct or Hurst Seat ring back.

I would not recommend going to any of Hurst's dealerships at the minute. To the reply for them I followed your guide on lookers that's how I logged the complaint. I have a ticket from your systems. Still no updates from it.

Arrived at Charles Hurst, Peugeot, Belfast last Friday for an oil and oil filter change.
After checkin, their service personnel took my keys, drove away without informing me where he was going.
After a few hours, I was notified my vehicle was ready for collection whereby I noticed they half washed the exterior.
The same chap returned my keys, supplied a receipt with zero balance to pay, which I found odd.

Having already checked the cost for this basic service is usually between £68 and £113 at an independent garage, while a full service including an oil change will be between £151 and £238 at most franchised or main dealerships.

Of little surprise, Charles Hurst service department contacted me for an unbelievable fee of £289.

Not only do I feel cheated but it was a disgrace how I witnessed an old gentleman struggling to understand his bill when a female employee listed the faults for his vehicle which he debated saying his son was a mechanic which he hadn't detected most of the faults listed.

Needless to say, the chap who dealt with me mentioned additional faults with my brakes, shoes and a drum needing replaced soon at an approximate cost between £700 - £800. The following Tuesday, I took my same vehicle to an independent garage whereby I was assured that brakes & shoes were perfectly fine with only slight wear and tear.

Trading Standards. office Of Fair Trading etc should be all over this company as they are clearing ripping customers off

I bought a used 2015 mitsubishi outlander (with 69,500 miles) from Charles Hurst Dundonald in March 2024. From day one the car just didn't sound correct. It is a big suv but the engine sounded like a dying tractor. I was reassured that it had been fully serviced and checked to Charles Hurst high standards and it was "all good" . A few months in and the car battery needed replaced. No big deal. But the AA recovery guy told us to get Charles Hurst to look at the engine as it didn't sound as it should. Again, Charles Hurst confirmed that the car was fine and I felt somewhat dismissed on the matter. I have put in and around three thousand pounds in repairs to the car in around 18 months that was just to get it through the mot. My mechanic now thinks the suspension is gone and the 4 wheel drives overheating and potentially needs replaced. I had a company out that purchases cars to buy it off me. As soon as he started the car his face dropped. He done his apprenticeship with donnelly group specifically mitsubishi. He rang his Co worker to come and have a listen as he also previously worked for mitsubishi. They both confirmed and told me that the balance box was wrecked and to not even start the car as its a ticking time bomb. Repair parts and labour will cost in and around 5k. He could not believe when I told him that Charles Hurst Dundonald sold it to me like this, as to make matters even worse my wife was eight and a half months pregnant at the time. I don't think the car was ever fit for purpose or had been previously serviced at all. My wife has only done six thousand miles on the car!!!! Have tried phoning the dealership on many occasions to no avail, hence leaving this review. Extremely disappointed as you think buying from a long standing large company, that things like this would never happen. I paid an initial 11k for the car, 3k in repairs, and now potentially 5k minimum for balance box or new engine and a few grand for suspension problems and 4WD. The car is now only good for scrap. You really couldn't make this up. If I could give zero stars I would. My advice, avoid! I would hate this to happen to anyone else!

Recovered my vehicle to Renault Charles Hurst Belfast for control unit coding. After two days with no update, I called to confirm they’d received it. It had, but turns out it hadn’t even been looked at yet. That was fine, but after a full week of silence, I rang again and was told the car was ready.

When I arrived to collect it, I was informed they’d spent 1.5 hours on the job, despite originally quoting one hour. I was charged an extra £89.40 without any prior authorisation or communication.

The lack of updates and failure to confirm additional labour costs left a sour taste. The work may have been done, but the customer service and transparency were practically non-existent.

As always I have to commend the efficient service I received for the Vauxhall Dealership in Portadown. Brian Aston is always meticulous in his attention to me and is an excellent representative for the company. I should also mention his able assistant Amanda from whom I also have received expert assistance when setting up my service plans. The two are a thoroughly exemplary team.

My 2021 Citroen c4e broke down 4 weeks ago, showing an electric traction system fault and the vehicle would not go into drive mode.
I had it recovered to Charles Hurst Citroen in Belfast, believing that to have it with the manufacturer’s service centre would be best.
After many diagnostic tests, I was told that a part was required at a cost of approx. £1.5k for it together with labour. This was delivered but was actually for a petrol car. I was then advised that the same part would bring my bill to £3.5k for my electric vehicle (inc labour).
After some homework I decided to authorise Charles Hurst to carry out this work and order the part - which I was being required to pay for up front. I was met with “are you sure?”, as though I really had any other choice when my vehicle will not even start and this worried me.
The manager then decided that a “second opinion” would be sought and so the “master tech” looked at the car again and decided that an entirely different part was needed which was less expensive - imagine if I had spent almost £4k and the part wasn’t correct!
So the apparent correct part was ordered and fitted - this has not resolved the problem and all I keep getting told is “more checks” are required.
Throughout I have felt dismissed and have been made to feel that this should all be acceptable. Which it is not. I am paying finance and insurance for a car that is not on the road. There is no sense of empathy or understanding and I have less and less confidence that my vehicle will be road worthy. I have also been refused a courtesy car as I this is only provided when there is a part on long term back order.

UPDATE: 23/10/2025: If you don't have time to read the whole thing, here's a summary. I finally got my money back - €2,785 for a repair that I had to pay for. The solution seems to be: go to their website, find the names of the directors, and copy them on your email with the people you are dealing with. I copied Jeff McCartney (Sales Operations Director) and Andrew Gilmore (Aftersales Operations Director) on the whole email trail, and the very next day I got a call back and got agreement that they would refund me. The above people's email addresses are firstname lastname at charleshurstgroup dot co dot uk (same format as all other email addresses). Worth a shot if you're not getting the responses you need.

Original review:
I purchased a used Nissan Navara from Charles Hurst Use direct in Newtownabbey. Being from Ireland, I bought the vehicle online after speaking with Matthew Sloan, the Dealership Manager. He assured me the vehicle had been comprehensively tested and came with a full 6 month comprehensive warranty. On that basis, I purchased the vehicle online, transferred the payment in full and went to collect the vehicle. The first time I drove the vehicle was when I was the new owner, and driving it out of Belfast it felt very sluggish. I wasn't sure if that was normal, but continued driving anyway. It was fine on the motorway, but not around town. 4 days later I checked it with a local Nissan dealer in Ireland, only to find out the smaller turbo was faulty. I contacted Charles Hurst and they rushed to get the warranty in place, and handed it over to the warranty company. They offered very little support and asked me to deal with the warranty company. After a repair bill of €2750 and about 6 weeks, the warranty company Assurant declined the claim because they said it's a pre-existing fault and Charles Hurst were liable. I contacted Paul McCormick, the Service Manager at Charles Hurst Nissan who I had been dealing with, and he said he would get the Sales Manager to call me back. That was 3 weeks ago. I've had zero contact from anyone. I've left numerous emails and telephone messages, but they refuse to engage. I'm still waiting to be reimbursed for a defective car they sold, and they continue to avoid making any contact. I will be contacting the Ombudsman in the UK and taking this further. I would not trust them. A bunch of scumbags.
In response to their reply, yes, I have already emailed Customer Complaints @ Lookers and have been waiting for 2 weeks with no reply. Please let me know when you will get back to me.
UPDATE: 16.10.2025: Still no further response from vehiclecomplaints-lookers.co.uk, and no response from Paul McCormack or Matthew Sloan at Charles Hurst. Vehiclecomplaints-lookers.co.uk - can you let me know if you will ever get back to me? Or do you just post comments here to pretend that you actually follow up?

This is day 29 that Charles Hurst Vauxhall have had my car for a 2.5-hour repair.

That is now 4 weeks of financial impact and personal inconvenience.

After my last review of the ongoing issue, I received the standard reply that they needed more information and to use the official Lookers complaint email.

My original review included all the details, from the problem with the car to the names of the people I had contact with and the dates. The only thing missing was my surname and registration.

How many other people's cars do you still have after 28 days?

As stated in the review, I had already contacted Lookers complaints on the website on 17th September, and all I received was an apology from Chris on 18th and an assurance that the car was in the garage and I was at the top of the list for a courtesy car.

11 days later, I still have no car. I don’t need another apology and excuse.

I would like to know when I will get my car back and what compensation I will receive.

“My daughter and son-in-law bought their so-called ‘dream car’ from Charles Hurst almost two years ago, spending £10,000. From day one, the car has been nothing but a source of stress, breakdowns, and ineffective repairs. Each time the car failed, they had to fight to even get Charles Hurst to look at it. When ‘repairs’ were finally carried out, they were superficial and the problems quickly returned.

Now Charles Hurst are refusing to take responsibility for selling a fundamentally defective vehicle. Their aftercare is appalling, their repairs are not fit for purpose, and they consistently try to avoid accountability.

If you are considering buying from Charles Hurst, read the reviews carefully — our experience is not unique. They are happy to take your money but will not stand over the cars they sell. We are now pursuing the matter through the Ombudsman.”

I bought a car from Charles Hurst after a week the car went on fire Charles Hurst did nothing to help I had to scrap the car.

In the last couple of days I picked up my Nissan Juke from Charles Hurst Boucher road
I have say I was really impressed with the professionalism and help given to me by The the motability specialist Mr Brendan mc connell He went through every thing I needed to know about the car I have M.S and he went above and beyond to explain what adaptations I could have fitted that would help me

I would gladly recommend them

I just purchased a 2022 Range Rover evoque and I love it. I asked for the car to be delivered to me which Dougie delivered and he even had a massive bouquet of flowers for me. The whole experience has been a dream. Thank you 🤩

I purchased a 2018 VW Golf GTE from Charles Hurst Used Direct and unfortunately, my experience hasn’t been a good one.
I initially enquired about a Golf GTE they had listed online, which had no photos at the time as it had only just arrived. I liked the spec, so I got a personal walkaround video. The video was helpful and highlighted scratches, paint chips, and swirl marks—issues they assured me would be addressed before collection. I decided to fly from London to Belfast to see the car in person.
Jack, the salesperson handling my enquiry, was attentive and persistent throughout the sales process. He kept in touch regularly and even tracked my journey from London to the dealership. However, things started to feel off when I was asked to make full payment before even seeing the car, simply because the accounts team would finish work at 5pm. I questioned this when Jack called me, and it seemed to change the subject very quickly.
After a test drive, I liked the car overall, but a few essential items were missing—namely, the parcel shelf, tyre repair kit, and electric charger. I was assured these would be replaced, which they were. However, the replacements were used items, and the tyre kit was a generic Slime version, not the original VW one designed to fit the car.
Then came the upselling of the GardX paint protection and warranty. I had concerns about the paintwork, especially the swirl marks and visible paint chips on both front doors, which looked like damage from parking bays. I specifically asked if GardX would correct these flaws, and was told it would. Jamie offered GardX at "half price," but the invoice showed the discount was taken off the car price, not the GardX, which was charged in full.
I paid in full and left the car with them for an extra day to apply GardX and fix the paintwork. No one told me when the car would be ready—I only got a call after I walked past the dealership myself.
When I came to collect the car, I was short on time and couldn’t leave it for another day. Jamie told me to contact Jack if there were any problems. Upon inspection, all the chips and scratches on the doors were still there. At that point, I questioned what I had actually paid extra for, and why they needed an extra day with the car when nothing was done.
Back in London, I emailed Jack with photos showing the issues were still present. Unlike before the sale, the communication became very slow and vague. Jack replied saying the car had been "buffed twice" and GardX applied for “lifetime” protection and shine. When I pointed out the clear remaining swirl marks and paint chips, there was no further action taken. No apology. No offer to resolve. Just vague reassurance.
In summary, the after-sales service has been terrible. The promised paint correction and GardX “showroom finish” was never delivered. I’m still waiting on the touch-up paint I was told would be sent to a local Lookers branch. Jack has since brushed the issue aside.
I expected better from a dealership of this size. I would not recommend buying from Charles Hurst Used Direct unless you’re prepared to be ignored once they have your money.

Where do I start , I bought my car 3 months ago. I love the car but the interior was in a bit of a state and I was told that it would be sorted for when I picked it up a few days later. When I went to pick car up nothing had been done and as I had swapped over my car insurance I had no choice to drive it home with the understanding that I would be contacted to bring car back to be sorted. The car absolutely stank of smoke . The petrol light was on the car had hardened glue on both front seats the floor and the inside door panel. No one contacted me I had to do the contacting every time !! I’ve been promised a new door panel and and reupholstered front seats and told it would be sorted before I went on holiday in July. I’ve been and back from holiday still nothing!! I rang last week to speak to manager and he promised he would ring me back by end of the day that was last Tuesday and no phone call!! To say I’m fuming with the customer care is an understatement!!!!! Abysmal service !!

What started out as a positive enough experience, turned into a sour one. Car was miss sold and falsely advertised, few issues presented themselves over the 8 days I owned the vehicle, and after sales service was poor. I exercised my right to return the vehicle and after some heated conversations and threatening legal action, I eventually got money returned.

I live 90+ miles from Belfast and took a day to visit regarding a couple of issues with a Kadgar bought in Jan 25 with an 18 month warranty. Cigarette lighter socket not working ( only discovered when we went to fix a dash cam ) firstly there was a potential diagnostic charge of £175 !! (a wear and tear item isn't covered) but how do you establish the problem without diagnosing ???
I had checked fuses prior to calling in ! Turns out the lighter socket is faulty but not covered under warranty. I questioned why...you have car 8 months and could have damaged socket!! No !! Only discovered recently when dash cam fitted!!
Used sales say it is covered ...service says not !! £100 !!
I argued my cases so service has to consult warranty provider ...could take a day or 2 to get an answer..so another nearly 200 mile round trip another day.
The crowning glory was Rachel in servicing...she needs a personality transplant at minimum !!
I'm sure Hursts aren't going to worry about 1 disgruntled customer given the volume of sales!!
Must give a shout out to Mario in sales ..a sound lad !!
I think the answer is buy local from someone you know.

Thankyou Aisling for the courteous professional attention I received when I purchased my new car from you in July.
I am very happy with my experience and recommend Charles Hurst for all your vehicle needs.
Thankyou again.

Fantastic service from Gary Daly at the Boucher Branch went above and beyond, couldn’t have a been more pleasant and helpful. Really happy.

My wife and i visited Keith from sales.
He was very Profisonal and answered every question we had. He is very easy to deal with and easy to chat to. Many thanks Keith you are an asset to Charles Hurst. I would do business again.

Bought a second hand Mercedes from these guys - Boucher Road branch. More than I have ever spent on a car - not only did they not negotiate on price they charged me £25 to put fuel in it so I could drive it home! Within 8 weeks - check engine light on! Eventually - they referred me to their contracted service garage! After six weeks refused to cover the entire fault under warranty! After another six weeks my car was finally booked in to be repaired!

It went in with two minor engine management faults - they have given it back with a non functioning Turbo -and EIGHT separate engine management faults! They have taken a Mercedes and given me back a tractor!

Did I mention I am registered disabled and live over 30 miles away?? No courtesy car - no attempt to help with getting the car there or back!

I cannot believe that a company that I assumed would be honest and trustworthy are not!