For the first time ever Mitsubishi Motors’ coveted UK Dealer of the Year Award has been shared between two dealerships: Chris Variava Mitsubishi in Nottingham and Smithy Garage in Gwynedd.

The family-run retailers couldn’t be separated in delivery of ‘outstanding performance across a number of key areas including sales, aftersales and customer satisfaction’.

Lance Bradley, managing director of Mitsubishi Motors in the UK, praised the contribution made by the 118-strong dealer network.

“Judging the awards was a particularly tough job this year as so many of our dealers have performed exceptionally,” he said. “In the end Chris Variava and Smithy Garage stood out from the crowd.

“Chris Variava has absolutely trumped the competition when it comes to customer service and this award is testament to the efforts of the whole team there.

“Smithy Garage has consistently been in the top echelons of customer satisfaction, not just in the UK but in Europe as well.”