Howards Motor Group - Howards Used Car Centre Yeovil Reviews 

After an initial negative experience with a service I booked I was extremely pleased that Howards Motor Group Yeovil contacted me with an offer to put things right, which they did. My car was collected and some vehicle faults repaired in quick time as a complimentary service. Really awesome customer care.
Moving forward I would highly recommend HMG.

The reception and the continuing updates always provided by Chloe and Alison is to be commended. They make one feel welcome and valued. Being kept up to date on progress with the service/MOT or whatever is among the valuable services they provide. Always greeting me by name, always going out of their way to offer help and guidance. I would recommend Howards Yeovil to anyone.

Really happy with the staff and service at Howards UCC. I bought a used car from Becky and the customer service was excellent. A few things needed looking at and they were sorted out swiftly and to a great standard. I was able to use a courtesy car which was electric and automatic, two things I had not experienced before. Lauren at the service centre came with me whilst I got a feel for the car and was helpful and made me feel at ease. I would certainly recommend Howards UCC if you are looking gor a used car and great service

Had car in for a service today great value as always very efficient and got to try out a new Citroen

Hi it's Richard Marchant, I purchased a brand new Peugeot 208 GT (Black) last week 23 Dec what a Xmas present. My sales manager Teri Parry was most helpful from start to finish of my purchase she kept me updated on everything, Teri was most helpful, polite and understanding of my needs and she done everything I asked her to do before I picked the car up on handover I have been very pleased with the car,Teri thank you very much for being most helpful 10 out of 10 well done 👏 ✔️

Thank you to Simon Martin for making our car search journey smooth and painless!

We paid a £99 holding deposit and travelled 45 minutes each way to view a Citroën DS3 at Howards UCC Yeovil. That alone should have demonstrated how serious we were about purchasing the car — yet what should have been a straightforward viewing of a reserved vehicle turned into the worst dealership experiences I’ve had in over three decades of car buying

Unwelcoming and Dismissive from the Start

From the moment we arrived, the salesperson made it clear she didn’t want to entertain our time unless we were already committed to buying the car. just a cold, transactional energy. She was abrupt, defensive, and showed no willingness to understand our position or build any kind of rapport. Honestly, I think she was completely out of place in a sales role. Her colleague seemed to have the same “couldn’t care less” vibe, which suggests a potential cultural issue.

Misleading Pre-Sale Presentation

A walkaround video was sent ahead of the visit — but it conveniently skipped every notable issue we later spotted in person:

All four diamond-cut alloys were lacquer-peeling and water-damaged

A dent in the passenger-side sill

Paint damage on two panels (rear right and front left)

And most worrying of all — engine coolant clearly below the minimum level

The issues with the body and paintwork damage were not disclosed in advance, despite being obvious and were certainly not reflected in the advertised price. When we raised the coolant issue, we were told it would be “looked at if we bought the car.” That’s despite being told the car had already passed a full inspection, including a wet belt replacement. If low coolant is missed during that full inspection, what else was?

No Test Drive Unless You’re ‘Committed’?

This was the real shocker. We were told — repeatedly — that we couldn’t test drive the car unless we were already “committed to buying it.”

That line genuinely blew me away. It’s not a Ferrari. It’s a used Citroën DS3 in yellow.

I’ve bought cars from Porsche dealerships, independents, and private sellers across the UK — never once have I been told I need to make a buying decision before I’ve even driven the car.
It’s not just unusual — it’s completely backwards.

How on earth are you supposed to know if a car suits you until you’ve driven it?

Walked Away With Zero Confidence

In the end, we walked. Not because of the price (we had the cash in the bank and we were ready to make a deal if the car and the approach felt right) but because of how the whole thing was handled. Hopefully the deposit is refunded quickly and smoothly (but that's not happened as yet)!

Summary

We lost trust. Between the undisclosed damage, the low coolant, and the saleswoman’s pushy, dismissive attitude, we had no confidence in the vehicle, the process, or the people.

What should have been a straightforward purchase turned into a frustrating, dead-end experience. Yes, I opened with a low offer — as any buyer would when clear cosmetic and mechanical issues are present — but rather than engaging in a reasonable discussion, the saleswoman completely blindsided it and resorted to pressure and intimidation tactics to force the sale. It was like being strong-armed rather than attempting coming to an agreeable deal.

We won’t return — and I’d strongly advise others to avoid wasting their time here, (unless of course you enjoy being talked down to, pressured, and strong-armed into a sale).

Looking at the wall of 5-star reviews, maybe I caught them on a bad day — but that still doesn’t excuse the dismissive attitude, the pressure tactics, or the fact I left with zero confidence in the car or the people selling it. They won’t be getting my money — or my family’s — anytime soon.

Ciaran at Yeovil was so helpful from start to finish. Excellent customer service from him. So helpful. Drove my new car away yesterday a Citroen C3 I couldn't be any happier would recommend Howard's to anyone. Will definitely be back. Thankyou Ciaran so very much

After a few weeks of dealing with Leo from Howard’s Yeovil, today I drove away in my new car!
The service I received has been fantastic. The model of 2008 that I was looking for wasn’t on the forecourt.
Leo found and sourced a car for me within budget and in the time frame of me needing it.
I gifted my old car to my nephew and Leo went above and beyond by assisting and completing the change of ownership on the DVLA website for me/us too.
Extremely happy with the service that I have received here. Thank you.

Bought two cars from them. One 6 years ago 1 today. I have zero issues with them. Helpful, non pushy. Will do what they can to help. Would recommend asking for Greg.

We bought a used Toyota Aygo from Howard’s. It is an excellent car in fantastic condition.Tom Bieda was extremely helpful and very professional.

Bought new car Hyundai i20. All staff excellent and sales Rep Tom Newman who I dealt with was very polite and made everything easy 10/10 thank you

Excellent sales person.Polite,friendly,very helpful,making the experience very easy.Have bought from various Howard's dealerships over the years and always had great service.Would highly recommend.

The Manager Lynn and her staff were all smartly dressed and welcoming to us when we visited to part exchange our car for a newer one......we dealt with Steve who was professional at all times, but also friendly and efficient, from my initial phone call to delivery of the car to my home address. We are delighted with the car which was well presented to us and would highly recommend this company...gold stars all round!!

Steven made the whole car buying experience very smooth & pleasant from start to finish.

Jack was an excellent salesman and Kevin the delivery driver was very polite and parked my new car where I wanted it. Excellent service all round. Good prices and excellent service

The staff are the most helpfull and proffesional car dealers I have done business with. I have bought 2 cars from them and used them for servicing etc. Excellently prepared cars. Would recomend them and would always look at them first.

Cannot thank Andy, Lynn & the team for changing our opinion on car salesman!
After a horrendous experience with a main dealer we contacted Andy in regards to one of his vehicles. From the outset there was never any pressure to sell, Andy sent us videos and was very transparent with the marks on the bodywork. We lived over 350 miles away so found this very reassuring considering the journey we had experienced with another dealer. We agreed to purchase the car and throughout every stage of the process the team were on hand to provide as much information on where the car was upto. The car arrived by a very professional gentleman and was in very good condition, although we did experience a slight issue with one of the tyres Andy & the team were straight on in assuring us that they would cover the cost to rectify it.
We have had the car just over a month now and more than happy.
If you are considering a vehicle from this garage don’t consider it, go for it!! 😉

I had up until the time I arrived at Howards Used car centre in Yeovil, had a positive helpful professional experience from this Motor trader, with most of my contact in Taunton - Howards Citroen, Howards Peugeot. However, it soon became apparent that, the car I made an effort to travel to go and view and potentially test drive etc, was far from ideal to be considered Franchised approved both mechanically, and Cosmetically. My friend and I spent a reasonable time checking over the vehicle which, for a 2017 used Peugeot, with 45.5K miles on the clock I would of expected better. All alloy wheels were very badly kerbed with the 2 front alloys being the worst, a bit more visual checks revealed a very nasty deep scratch on the passenger rear door, in my book this was itching to be sorted asap as was the flaking paint around the front whell arches. Upon taking the vehicle for a short test drive, (salesman quoted 30 minutes) it would become obvious that the steering felt somewhat heavy, but this did not immediately phase me, since I already knew they would get the car checked in the workshop prior to the potential sale/handover, hmm was it slightly deflated tyres or was it a worn out steering pump who knows... I was made aware prior to the test drive that the price had been reduced that very day, and there was less money in their kitty to address any defects with the vehicle! So having test drove the vehicle upon our return to Howards used car centre, we started to negotiate and talk business... (Ps The boss lady had the final say on this day) I was told that the wheels would have to be done at cost to me, and the awful deep scratch on the rear door, would not be dealt with in the body shop, and would be at best dealt with by a man who just does minor dents and scratches - Mr Chips :) So a few days went by and, Steve sent me a short presentation video that clearly demonstrated that because they didn't have the budget having "dramatically" reduced the price, this scratch was as good as it gets! (Alarm bells lol) The vehicle was not even valeted, which often a car dealer will tell you that they have only just taken the vehicle in part exchange and haven't had chance to clean it, what a poor excuse, for such a large company? Best to not advertise cars unless they are fit for a viewing I say. So at this stage, I had already paid Howards a £500 deposit, that I was told at the time was non refundable, not the usual £99 deposit then on this occasion :( In fact, what I also wanted to mention is, Steve the salesman wanted to bring to my attention Howards sophisticated customer database tech that basically tracks each and every customers tracks within the Howards Motor Group company. He said on such occasion you visited this branch and showed an interest and withdrew from sale, and you enquired about this car but never followed it through etc.. Big brother eh? To give you the reader a slight insight into my dealings, I initially looked at a Peugeot 308 GT line at Howards Peugeot in Taunton, that seemed like a ok car which had 45.5k miles on the clock at almost 14k asking price. They agreed to lend me a courtesy car whilst I was waiting for some inheritance money from my late father who sadly passed away this year, and I was confident the money would be available at a said date, so with this in mind they lent me a car. Unfortunately, there was a miscalculation and without delay, I informed my point of contact Elisha, and we agreed on the return of the courtesy car. Sadly this is a gamble any main car dealer takes when nothing is written in stone, naturally I was only too glad of the assistance they offered me. I did attempt to reselect at this dealership but was told they had nothing in stock that was going to suit my requirements. As a result I found myself without a vehicle which was not ideal so eventually after a lot of stress, I ended up purchasing a vehicle from another main dealer in Devon. Knowing that I have had a good experience even when my late father was alive we used to take his motability vehicle to Howards Citroen where they always looked after us pretty well. So it is such a shame that I have had such a negative experience with Howards used car centre in Yeovil. I would say that the boss needs to be careful reducing car prices to the point where they have no funds to address defects with the cars for sale.

Hassle free purchase would recommend and use again