Leslies Motors Reviews 7

TrustScore 4 out of 5

4.1

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Company details

  1. Car Dealer
  2. Auto Parts Store
  3. Car Service

Written by the company

Leslies Motors is our family run business that was founded in 1948 and was based in Sandown, Isle of Wight. The business has gone from strength to strength in the hands of 3 generations of the Vanassche family. We sell both new and used cars, with our new brands including Mazda, Kia, Toyota, Hyundai and Suzuki. We sell all makes and models of used cars and vans. Leslies has seen many motor vehicle franchises over the years, some coming full circle (Hyundai was a member of the Leslies group many years ago, and returned in 2015 when Wight Motors became a member of the Leslies family). Leslies has also been based in many locations around the Island over the years, but the current location of Northwood Garage (Leslies Kia and Mazda) was first moved into 38 years ago! In the early 90’s Graham Vanassche took over the day to day running of the business from his father, and founder, Leslie Vanassche. This was roughly the same time that Hale Common Suzuki became part of the family, now known as Leslies Suzuki. Kia moved to Somerton in 2008 until 2011 when it moved up to its current site, Northwood Garage. In 2015, Leslies Motors acquired ownership of Wight Motors in Sandown from the Butler family. Wight Motors has a very rich history of its own, founded 90 years ago, the business has also gone from strength to strength. In May 1975, Wight Motors opened a new premises on College Close in Sandown and the official opening was attended by Miss United Kingdom and former Miss World, Helen Morgan, who greeted visitors. The showroom at the Sandown site was further extended in 1979 and Roy and Barbara Butler took over in the early 1990s. In 2006, Wight Motors left Ryde altogether and moved into a brand new showroom in Sandown, with its 2 successful franchises, Leslies Toyota and Hyundai. In 2019, Leslies Motors opened its brand new state-of-the-art showroom in Blackwater, and moved Toyota over to this new location. At our new showroom we use sustainable resources to run our business, with recycled water to wash the cars, courtesy e-bikes, solar panels and the Isle of Wight's largest selection of hybrid vehicles. After a long process building the site, we finally moved Toyota into the new dealership in September of 2019.


Contact info

4.1

Great

TrustScore 4 out of 5

7 reviews

5-star
4-star
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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Customer Care

My Mazda CX5 needed urgent attention whilst o was on a five day holiday, I called on a Tuesday and they gave me an appointment on the Wednesday. Having spoken to Vicky their Mazda Technician she sorted the issue in an hour. I can’t rate her care and attention enough and the very informative information she gave me. I 💯 recommend the customer service she and the rest of the service staff gave me.

April 15, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great service from Ian elliot at…

Great service from Ian elliot at leslies motors in cowes, helped me to choose my ideal car for my needs, listen to everything I needed and showed me round the showroom with no pressure, had a test drive of the kia sportage and then went on to purchase it. Thank you Ian .

September 20, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Service

I didn't look on Leslies' Website to buy another Kia, it was for something else. However I saw exactly the second-hand car I wanted.
Excellent service from Ian and there were a couple of issues with the car which were sorted out without any hassle. I part exchanged my old Kia Sportage and bought this Kia Sorento.
A lovely car!
Excellent after sales service as a fault occurred after purchase and was covered under the one Year Warranty. Worth taking out.
Thank you!

May 22, 2025
Unprompted review
Leslies Motors logo

Reply from Leslies Motors

Thank you so much for your kind review! We're delighted you found the perfect car—sometimes the best discoveries are the unexpected ones! It’s great to hear that Ian made the process smooth and straightforward, and that any issues were resolved quickly and without hassle.

We're also really pleased the warranty gave you peace of mind when that fault occurred. Enjoy your Kia Sorento, and thank you again for choosing Leslies!

Best wishes,
The Leslies Kia Team

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Not caring staff giving the cold shoulder

Hi there I want to make a complaint because Monday morning when I rang Leslie’s Hyundai I genuinely had a big problem with my car regarding the brakes. To which I was given the cold shoulder. I am appalled with the member of staff I spoke to Monday. He didn’t want to help me at all he made excuses saying we can’t guarantee you a space to be seen this week because of half term. That’s terrible customer service. As a result I took my car to another garage as the situation is serious and the staff were run off their feet but they still took the time out of their busy schedule to see my car and other people’s vehicles. I am even getting the issue fixed tomorrow morning. What’s even worse none of you have made zero effort to call me back at all busy or not busy that’s your job. I am really considering not using Leslie’s anymore because I have been let down in the past.

Complaint continued. I find it rude I emailed last Friday about the brakes in my car and received no reply. The least one of you can do is get back to me with an explanation. As I even said to the staff on Monday I need the issue sorted before the weekend as I am going away. But he clearly doesn’t care at all

I had a problem with my battery two years ago in 2023 and I took my car in because I genuinely thought the “professionals” would have noticed that. It took a whole day to be told we couldn’t find anything “wrong.” A week or two later the battery went flat.

February 24, 2025
Unprompted review
Leslies Motors logo

Reply from Leslies Motors

Dear Kathryn,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We understand how important it is to have peace of mind when it comes to your vehicle’s safety, especially with an issue as serious as your brakes. We're sorry to hear that you felt let down by the service you received, as we always strive to assist our customers as quickly and effectively as possible.

Our workshops do experience particularly high demand during peak times, and while we do our best to accommodate urgent cases, there are occasions where we are fully booked and unable to guarantee immediate availability. That said, we regret that you did not feel supported when reaching out to us. Communication is something we take seriously, and we appreciate your feedback regarding your email and call experience.

We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further and ensure that any concerns are addressed properly. Please feel free to get in touch with us directly so we can understand what happened and look at how we can improve going forward. Your continued trust in Leslies Motors is important to us, and we genuinely value your feedback.

Best regards,
Leslies Hyundai Team

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Ended up a huge disappointment!

I was happy with the contact I had with the staff with regards to purchasing a 2019 RAV4, it was all going so well, all my questions answered promptly, a personalised video of the car (stating how immaculate it was!), the offer of £150 off towards travel costs etc and a tank full of petrol should I buy the RAV. I was so hopeful that I'd finally found the one!
After a 3 hour journey to get there my experience quickly turned to disappointment upon viewing the car! It was obvious that the left front wing had been resprayed as there was too much metallic in new paint, so one area hugely glistened in the light!
I could have accepted this and considered negotiating to have it resprayed however on further investigation of the car we noticed a huge gap between the rear of the roof and the top of the tailgate, you could practically fit your fingers in it! We then noticed the tailgate wasn't fitting flush, protruding by about 1/4". Inside the car it smelt strange, I wouldn't be surprised if water was getting from the tailgate and they tried to mask the smell! Interestingly it had been put into dry storage over night.
When we brought this to the member of staff's attention he didn't seem surprised (i didn't mention the smell), he just said they bought it at auction so didn't know the damage history (I'm not convinced!), he then said he would speak to his manager about what could be done on the price. I was offered £200...obviously I walked away... highly disappointed and over £100 out of pocket!
Why can't people just be honest, I guess I expected more from a Toyota dealership!

November 25, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Thank you Jorden.

At the end of march I purchased a kia sportarge. From the moment I was put in touch with a young salesman called Jorden everything went smoothly. He was excellent in his attitude towards my wife and I, there was no pressure selling. We were grateful for the way he took time to explain the workings of the new car and also about the different ways to pay. He gives me faith in the youth of today. Thank you Jorden a credit to you're company.

March 30, 2023
Unprompted review
Leslies Motors logo

Reply from Leslies Motors

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review James. We will make sure this is passed on to Jordan. We hope you are enjoying your Sportage!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

No pressure selling

I know what I want, with most things, but occasionally I need a little guidance, especially if it involves a technology that I have no knowledge of.
A confession, I knew almost nothing about electric cars, other than they 'snuck' up behind you when you weren't looking and made very little sound in the process.
Personally, I couldn't separate a HEV from a PHEV or from a Hybrid... so enter Richard Winter.
A nice chap, with enough knowledge to give you what you need to know and enough restraint to avoid any bamboozlement.
After a discussion with him, and a test drive of a Toyota hybrid I abandoned any thought of buying a pure electric car, as I soon realised it wouldn't meet my current needs. (Sorry about the unintended pun).
All this thanks to the informational, no pressure advice, from a talented salesman.
Well done Richard and thanks for the experience!

December 2, 2022
Unprompted review
Leslies Motors logo

Reply from Leslies Motors

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us such a lovely review Stephen. We're so happy we could help you make a decision on your next car. The world of HEV, PHEV & EV can be daunting, and we're so pleased Richard could help!

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