Renault has awarded seven of its UK retailers with a Dealer of Excellence award after it commissioned JD Power to measure its network's customer service performance.

Renault commissioned JD Power in January as part of its bid to climb into the top 10 vehicle manufacturer list in JD Power's own dealer survey by 2017. Renault was in 12 position in the 2013 What Car? JD Power Dealer Survey.

Seward Renault Portsmouth, Smiths of Peterborough and Renault Wirral, Slough, Orpington, Romford and Enfield were all presented with the award by Renault UK managing director Ken Ramirez and Dr Axel Sprenger, J.D. Power European head of operations.

Ramirez said: "The seven dealers receiving the Dealer of Excellence Award really have gone the extra mile and fully deserve this recognition and accolade for delivering what customers rightly demand most - outstanding service experience."

The honour was bestowed after each of the seven dealerships successfully completed the certification process for its Renault service operations through a two-part evaluation process, consisting of a customer satisfaction survey and an on-site audit.

First, dealers must achieve requisite service satisfaction scores, based on customer experiences with their most recent service visit to a Renault dealer. Those top dealers must then pass an on-site evaluation based on dealership best practice areas.