Local Renault dealerships have been recognised as the best of the best by winning highly-coveted Driver Power – Dealer of Excellence awards.

Just 17 dealerships nationwide throughout the 160-strong Groupe Renault UK operation, which encompasses the Renault and Dacia brands, won the prized accolade in the Driver Power – Dealer of Excellence programme in conjunction with Auto Express magazine.

Of those 17, three are in Norfolk and Suffolk with Holden Renault in Norwich, Mitchells Renault, which has sites at Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth, and Bristo's in Ipswich all receiving the prestigious award given to dealerships that excel in going the extra mile and determined by customer feedback.

The dealerships were originally nominated for the award after far exceeding Groupe Renault UK's in-house customer satisfaction measures. Each was then subject to an in-depth independent customer care evaluation by Driver Power, where it contacted customers directly to assess their experience of the individual dealerships.

After meeting the demanding criteria, the dealerships' achievement were rewarded with the Driver Power – Dealer of Excellence award.

The win comes at a particularly exciting time for the dealerships that have been busier than ever with the recent launch of the all-new Renault Scénic and Grand Scénic together with the Mégane Sport Tourer – the estate version of the hatchback that arrived in showrooms last summer.

Phil Miller, general sales manager of Holden Group which includes Renault and Dacia franchises in Heigham Street, Norwich, said: 'Our team always strives to provide a first-class service and it's especially pleasing that direct feedback from our customers has led to us being awarded Dealer of Excellence status.

'We're delighted to have won the award and it's great to have the recognition that we are amongst the best of the best in the entire Groupe Renault UK dealer network.'

And Matt Huke-Jenner, dealer principal of Mitchells Renault with sites in Long Road, Lowestoft, and Suffolk Road, Great Yarmouth, said Mitchells had also won the accolade for 2015.

'It is based upon customer feedback so the only way we can influence the customer is by giving first-class service in the first place.

'It is just reward for the staff who do give an excellent service to our customers and it is great they get some recognition for all their hard work,' he added.

Established by Groupe Renault UK and Auto Express magazine at the end of 2015, the Driver Power Dealer of Excellence programme is an accreditation programme that seeks to identify, recognise and reward automotive dealerships that provide excellent customer service. It is backed by the expertise of more than a decade of conducting the annual Driver Power Survey, the UK's largest independent automotive satisfaction study.