The dealership was awarded the National Garage Star trophy in the Awards, with the four-strong judging panel unanimously agreeing the County Londonderry dealer was also the worthy recipient for the regional trophy. In addition to the trophies, and in recognition of the outstanding achievement, the dealership was also awarded £1,000 in vouchers from The Motor Ombudsman.

The business was praised for its ongoing relationship with customers, dedication to sourcing new vehicles and reducing lead times to as short as possible, whilst also going above and beyond to deliver excellent customer service.

The personable approach and efforts made for customers by Roadside Garages in Northern Ireland stood out above the competition for members of the judging panel.

The Motor Ombudsman is the Ombudsman dedicated to the automotive sector. Around 1,500 online nominations were submitted by customers of Motor Ombudsman-accredited businesses across the UK, noting their experiences of businesses or individual staff members repeatedly going the extra mile.

Bill Fennell, Chief Ombudsman and Managing Director of The Motor Ombudsman, explained: “This is the third year that we have run our Star Awards, and it has been very exciting to see the buzz that they have created, and to see more customers and businesses engaging with the competition than ever before.

“The Star Awards show first-hand the high calibre of businesses that are accredited to our Motor Industry Codes of Practice, and put many great examples and personal accounts of how individuals excel and go above and beyond to help their customers, firmly into the spotlight. We would like to congratulate all those who were nominated, highly commended and who won an award, including of course, our National Garage Star winner – Roadside Garages.”

David Boyd, Director of Roadside (Garages) Kia, said: “We are thrilled to have won both the trophy for Northern Ireland, and this year’s coveted National Garage Star Award. We faced very stiff competition in the final few, so it was a nice surprise to have been chosen by the judges and emerge with the top prize.

“Our team is immensely proud of our success, and our fast-expanding trophy cabinet is testimony to our long-standing ethos of going beyond what would ordinarily be expected of us, whilst adopting an individual and personal approach so that our customers always feel like a valued member of the Roadside family. We are very grateful to those who put our name forward in this year’s contest, and we look forward to welcoming them back to our showroom as The Motor Ombudsman’s National Garage Star for 2022.”

For more information on The Motor Ombudsman’s Star Awards, visit www.TheMotorOmbudsman.org/Awards.