GBI Cars beats off the big boys to win national award
Leighton Buzzard dealership GBI Cars has fended off stiff competition including from well-known national chains to be crowned the UK Customer Experience Award winner at the 2025 Auto Trader Retailer Awards.
This year marks GBI’s third time as a finalist and their second time winning a national Auto Trader award - previously taking home Retailer of the Year (2023) and now being recognised as the UK Customer Experience Award winner.
To mark the achievement, local MP Alex Mayer visited the GBI Cars showroom to congratulate the team. There she met father and son team Gary and Byron Malsbury as they proudly showed off their winner’s trophy.
The family-run business was selected from 14,000 firms registered on Auto Trader including the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari dealerships.
The first rounds were conducted by looking at their online presence and the judges making an email and phone enquiry. Just 1% made it to the finalist stage. They then were visited by a mystery shopper.
The MP said: “Gary and Byron told me how they thought the mystery shopper was behaving a bit oddly but they still provided their normal top-notch customer service!”
The Malsburys describe the win as a reflection of their commitment to genuine customer care and consistently high standards. They also highlighted the dealership’s ongoing commitment to working with fellow Leighton Buzzard businesses.
“We consider ourselves fortunate to have such close access to so many excellent local businesses. Leighton Buzzard may be small in size, but it’s home to numerous companies operating both locally and internationally,” explained Byron Malsbury.
He also noted the many local garages GBI Cars relies on for MOTs and repairs, including trusted partners such as RGM Automotive, along with several others across the town’s business estates.
Alex Mayer MP added: “This is a fantastic achievement. It’s great to see a local family firm outperforming national competition and flying the flag for Leighton Buzzard. Family businesses like GBI Cars create jobs, train local people and support other small firms. They keep the town moving.”
Director Gary Malsbury added: “We’re absolutely delighted. We might not be a big franchise dealership but, we pride ourselves on putting customer care above everything else. Every car we buy has a full-service history and meets a standard we’re proud to stand behind — even if it costs us more to get it there. I also want to credit the whole team. Rob looks after our customers incredibly well — the reviews speak for themselves. And Garrie’s valeting is outstanding; customers comment on it again and again."
GBI Cars stocks over 90 used vehicles and continues to invest in its facilities, service processes, and customer experience.