Group 1 MINI Brighton

On 10/8/26 I took my Mini to the Brighton Mini dealership to investigate a chronic oil leakage. I received a report outlining the work required to make it roadworthy - £1,931. My local garage had said that they felt the car was a write-off and couldn't be fixed, and that Minis often have chronic oil leaks, so I was glad that Brighton Mini felt there was a solution. I approved the work and collected the car and everything appeared to be fine with the exception of 3 warning lights which still appeared on the dashboard. I emailed Peter Lister who I had been dealing with at Brighton Mini to seek further reassurance but never received a response. The car was used for short local trips (max 30mph/ distance 2 miles) until 19/09/26 when I started a journey up the A23 to Esher. The car failed catastrophically as soon as I reached 55mph. There was a loud explosion, it veered across the outside lane and came to rest blocking the busy carriageway. We were lucky not to be killed and cause a major accident. The police towed us to safety. The RAC attended and said the car was undrivable and towed it home - at some expense. I contacted Brighton Mini to ascertain next steps and asking why there had been no response to my earlier email. Peter Lister phoned me back in something of a panic saying he had not received my first email (though the one about my car exploding had magically landed in his inbox). He said he would have to discuss with his manager and would get back to me. I heard nothing and followed up on 28/09/2026. Peter claimed he had left a voicemail on my phone although I have no voicemail capability set up. He then said he would investigate and a colleague later responded that his technical investigation concluded that their work was in no way responsible for the resulting fault. As they had not seen the vehicle since it failed, I was puzzled how they had come to this conclusion. I'm not suggesting the repairs caused the failure. My complaint is that I asked the garage to investigate why my car was burning oil extremely fast, and this investigation was not carried out properly. Despite paying £1,931 and being reassured that it was then fully roadworthy, I was returned a defective vehicle which failed the moment it reached 55mph. If the result of the garage’s initial investigation was that the car had an extremely limited life remaining, despite the completion of the extended recommended list of works, I would obviously not have approved the works to go ahead. I have tried to get an apology and some form of refund for the unnecessary works carried out - to no avail. As a lifelong Mini lover, I would have been willing to buy a new Mini to replace this one. Now I will never trust Minis and this dealership again and I'm taking my claim to the Motor Ombudsman. I'd urge other people in a similar situation to do the same.

I had a fantastic experience at Group 1 Brighton MINI, especially thanks to Nicholas. He was extremely helpful, patient and caring throughout the whole process. He took the time to explain everything to me clearly and made sure I understood all the details without ever making me feel rushed or pressured. Nicholas was professional, friendly and genuinely went above and beyond to make the experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible. It’s clear that he really cares about his customers and takes pride in providing great service. I would definitely recommend Nicholas to anyone looking to purchase a MINI. Excellent service from start to finish — thank you, Nicholas!

I purchased a used MINI Clubman in July after liasing with an EXCEPTIONAL Executive Sales Advisor, Josh Rayment. Josh was incredibly attentive and knowledgeable throughout the entire process, ensuring that he answered every question I had regarding the particular MINI and potential future purchases. Josh also kept me regularly updated on the progress of the vehicle MOT's, servicing and repairs as he understood I was travelling quite a distance to make the purchase! Josh is a testament to MINI and a PHENOMINAL representative of the Group 1 franchise! Unfortunately, around 2 weeks after purchasing the vehicle, the car developed some engine misfiring issues which ultimately left it unsafe to drive. This caused a long back and forth regarding repairs and eventually ended in the rejection of the car. While the rejection process was understandably arduous, I was pleased with how Group 1 Brighton MINI ultimately handled the situation. I would still recommend the dealership to friends and family, particularly because of the exceptional service I received from Josh, who deserves recognition for the level of care and professionalism he provided. P.s I would put two stars but Josh docked it up to two.

Had such a great experience with Christina at MINI. She was amazing from start to finish, really helpful, friendly and just a genuinely lovely person. Nothing was too much trouble and she made the whole experience so easy and enjoyable. You can tell she really cares about her customers, and the service was honestly brilliant. Would definitely recommend Christina to anyone looking for a new MINI!

I booked my car in for an official starter motor safety recall, confirmed the appointment, took a day off work, and drove 40 minutes. After waiting around 15 minutes, I was told that they couldn’t do the recall because the replacement parts had arrived damaged. That’s extremely frustrating. Basic checks should be done before confirming appointments. I lost time, fuel, and a day’s leave for nothing. Staff were polite and apologetic, but the organization was poor. For a premium brand, I expected far better.

I recently purchased a new Mini Cooper with Group 1 Brighton and I couldn’t be happier with my experience. Christina was absolutely amazing from start to finish. She was so friendly, knowledgeable, and patient, taking the time to answer my questions and making sure I felt completely comfortable throughout the whole process. Nothing ever felt rushed or pressured, and she went above and beyond to make everything smooth and stress-free. Thank you so much, Christina, for all of your help. You’re amazing and I would highly recommend anyone looking to buy a Mini to ask for you!

Recently booked in to have our car serviced with the MINI branch. Great customer service from start to finish. Thank you

By far the worst garage I have ever been to. I was a loyal customer for seven years, buying my car from them from new, but the service level has steadily been going downhill. Recently I took my Mini in for a routine brake-pad change, and the car was 'safety-checked' and returned to me after the work had been completed - only for the entire brake system to fail the very first time I drove it the next day. It was only blind luck that I did not collide with the car in front of me, and that nobody was hurt. Aside from the obvious concerns about the quality of work that was undertaken, the response from the customer-service staff afterwards was abysmal. A complete lack of care or interest. Emails go unanswered, phones are not picked up, and months later I am still waiting for the promised report on what happened to be sent to me. A refund for the original work was eventually issued, but again this took weeks and weeks of chasing. Congratulations, Mini Portslade - you have turned a once loyal customer into a Toyota driver.

We recently purchased a car from Mini One Group Brighton and couldn't be happier with the service from Ollie (Oliver Ellwood) From helping us choose the right car and options, to keeping us updated throughout the ordering process, he was professional, efficient, and thorough every step of the way. Ollie genuinely went the extra mile, even managing to get the car delivered earlier than expected. The handover was excellent, with a full run-through of the vehicle and all its features. The whole experience was smooth and stress-free. A big thank you to Ollie – he really did Mini One Group proud. Highly recommended!