At CarGurus, we believe that transparency in car shopping makes for an easier and more seamless transaction for shoppers and dealers alike. Online reviews play a crucial role in giving shoppers the transparency they crave and helping them choose one dealership over another. But for dealers, a lot goes into converting a shopper into a satisfied buyer who leaves a five-star review-open and honest communication, timely responses, and exceptional customer service are just the beginning.

We created the CarGurus Top-Rated Dealer Award to celebrate and honour the dealers nationwide who put customer satisfaction above everything else, day in and day out.

What's CarGurus' Top-Rated Dealer?

The CarGurus Top-Rated Dealer Awards recognise the dealers who go above and beyond to provide exceptional customer service. The awards are based on reviews from car shoppers across the UK and are given annually to a select group of dealers with the highest average dealer ratings on CarGurus.

Historically, winners have enjoyed multiple benefits, including bragging rights and promotional assets to put your excellence in customer satisfaction front and centre with millions of car shoppers.

How do I become a Top-Rated Dealer?

To qualify for the award, dealers must have:

• At least five verified reviews collected within the year
• An overall average dealer rating of 4.5 or higher* within the year
• An active inventory on CarGurus
• No penalisations or warnings within the past two years
• No reviews removed due to fraud within the past two years

Tips for earning the award

There's a lot you can do to ensure your dealership qualifies for the Top-Rated Dealer Award. Explore our checklist for collecting more reviews here and check out some additional tips below:

• Encourage reviews. Let customers know they'll receive an invitation to review your dealership on CarGurus after their visit and that you'd appreciate their feedback. Reviews from happy, satisfied customers are powerful tools for influencing potential buyers-and get you one step closer to earning the Top-Rated Dealer Award.
• Respond to reviews. Proactively responding to reviews shows that you care about your customers' experiences. Plus, according to a Harvard Business Review study, responding to all customer reviews, both positive and negative, typically results in an overall higher rating.
• Collect only authentic customer reviews. We take the integrity of our reviews very seriously and have a variety of systems in place to monitor for and prevent fraud. Any evidence of fraud could lead to a potential negative impact on your online reputation.

For more details on how dealer reviews work on CarGurus, you can review the guidelines here.

*Though they are still available to users, we do not include reviews older than two years when calculating a dealer's overall rating.