Gravells Kia Bridgend saluted for outstanding 2023 performance

Gravells Kia Bridgend clinched a hattrick of accolades after winning ‘Dealer of the Year’, the ‘Sales Excellence Award’ and the ‘After Sales Excellence Award’ at the car maker’s 2023 Dealer Excellence Awards.

For the third consecutive year, Gravells Kia Bridgend was awarded the prestigious ‘Dealer of the Year’ title. This is also the second year running the dealership has won the ‘Aftersales Excellence Award’, which focuses on areas of the business including parts, accessories and service plans.

Awarded second and third place as the ‘Dealer of the Year’ was Mantles Kia Royston and Lloyd Kia Carlisle respectively. This result followed consistent excellence throughout the past year across all business metrics – sales, after sales and customer experience.

Lloyd Kia Carlisle's head of business Roy Holliday said: “To be recognised as one of the best Kia dealerships globally for 2023, after going through a major showroom refurbishment which resulted in us operating offsite for seven months, is a testament to not only the staff for adjusting to their temporary environment and still providing exceptional levels of customer experience, but also to our loyal customers who have supported us through this period."

Gravells Kia Hereford toppled previous four-time winner Ken Jervis Kia off the podium to secure the outright win of the ‘Customer Experience Award’. Moreover, the top 20 dealers excelling in customer experience also received recognition for their remarkable efforts with an award certificate.

Paul Philpott (pictured), president and CEO of Kia UK, extended heartfelt congratulations and thanks to all the winners: “Recognising our dealers for their exceptional commitment to our customers has once again led to record sales in 2023. This is thanks to their quality of service and stellar representation of the Kia brand. We are immensely proud of our dealer partnerships and together we have and will overcome challenges through continuous innovation.

“2024 will be yet another exciting year for our brand and we’ve already hit the ground running with the opening of the all-new Kia Academy in Derby that will usher in the next generation of skilled technicians.

“Of course, no mention of 2024 is complete without noting the ZEV mandate. Kia is already in a great position: almost one in two vehicles sold is an electrified model and this will be our first full sales year for the EV9. Nevertheless, we will continue to build upon our reputation as leaders in electrification and with the strength and quality of our dealer partners I’m certain this is possible.”

Kia sold 107,765 new cars in 2023 – of which 45% were electrified models, making Kia the third best-selling brand for electrified models.

The following 20 dealers also received an award certificate in recognition of customer excellence.

• Acorn (Burntwood)
• Acorn (Crewe)
• Allen (Brentwood)
• Drayton Motors (Louth)
• Drayton Motors (Scunthorpe)
• Edwards (Kempsey)
• EMG (Thetford)
• F J Chalke (Mere)
• Furrows (Telford)
• Gravells (Abergavenny)
• Gravells (Bridgend)
• Ken Jervis (Stoke-on-Trent)
• Lloyd (Carlisle)
• Mantles (Royston)
• Startin (Redditch)
• Stoneacre (Grimsby)
• Sutton Park (Coventry)
• Wessex (Cardiff)
• Wessex (Newport)