7:00 am, December 30, 2025
Here at Car Dealer we work hard to keep you up to date with all of the latest news from across the automotive industry – and few areas generate quite as many headlines as the courts.
This year has turned out to be another bumper period for legal drama across the motor trade, with a fresh cast of rogues and reprobates finding their dodgy deals catching up with them.
We have also seen landmark cases, which could shape the future of the industry for the years to come, but which stories stood out above the rest?
To find out, we have been taking a look back at the last 12 months and have picked out a few of our favourites. In no particular order, here is what caught our eye…
Jack Barclay ordered to pay more than £37,000 over theft of surgeon’s Bentley
Luxury dealer Jack Barclay Bentley was ordered to pay more than £37,000 after a court ruled it failed to properly activate the tracking system on a £200,000 Continental GT later stolen from a surgeon’s driveway. Judge Andrew Holmes found the dealership negligent but ruled the owner, Prof Fares Haddad, was 60% to blame for not noticing the tracker was inactive.
Jack says: You get the sense that this is a case where neither side will be particularly enamoured with the outcome. From the dealership’s point of view, they denied any culpability so being ordered to pay out almost £40,000 will be a tough pill to swallow, I’m sure. Having said that, Haddad was asking for more than £82,000 in damages so I would imagine he’s not best pleased with the judge’s outcome either. What this case does show is just how important it is for dealers to be diligent and not miss out any important parts of the sales process. Even a simple mistake can result in serious – and often pricey – consequences!
Luxury car dealer admits to 16 counts of fraud in five-year campaign worth more than £1m
Luxury car dealer Andrew Mearns has admitted 16 counts of fraud after running a five-year scam through classic Porsche specialist Gmund Cars. The court heard he cheated customers out of more than £1m by selling vehicles on a sale-or-return basis and failing to pass on proceeds. Mearns, who owned the business until 2020, will be sentenced next February, with jail expected.
Jack says: It is dealers like this that give the rest of the trade a bad name so it is good to see Andrew Mearns’ actions catch up with him. The thing that struck me with this one was just the absolute scale of his deception. Mearns was doing this for five years and made more than a million pounds scamming innocent customers who trusted him to do a good job for them. He has been warned that a jail term is likely when he comes to be sentenced in March – something that should serve as a warning to all the dodgy dealers who are still out there.
Renault and Nissan say they are are ‘not obligated’ to supply cars to dealers as Mackie hots up fight
Dealer Kevin Mackie has escalated his long-running legal battle with Renault, Nissan and RCI to the European Commission, alleging serious breaches of competition law. The case centres on manufacturers’ claims they are under no obligation to supply cars or parts to franchisees. Mackie says the defence exposes a dangerous power imbalance that could threaten dealers across Europe.
Jack says: This one remains subject to active High Court proceedings, so I’ll leave any thoughts on the case itself to one side for now. What I will say is that Kevin Mackie has been absolutely dogged in pursuing this claim and his determination to prove his side of the story had been impressive to watch. I’ve interviewed Mackie a few times now and I always come away struck by just how driven he is to succeed. The case is likely to be heard at some point in 2026 and it will be interesting to see what happens. Mackie says that if he loses, it could leave retailers ‘operating on a knife edge’ so I am sure the entire industry will be following developments closely.
Trading Standards fire warning to rogue dealers as crooked used car salesman is put behind bars
A Peterborough used car dealer has been jailed for breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order after repeatedly flouting consumer protection laws. Shaffarat Parvez, who traded under multiple business names, sold faulty cars and failed to provide repairs or refunds. Trading Standards said the eight-month prison sentence sends a clear warning to dealers tempted to ignore consumer rights.
Jack says: Another rogue trader who got his comeuppance, I picked this one because I was pleased to hear just how seriously Trading Standards are taking cases like this. It is difficult enough for the motor trade to keep battling negative public perceptions without bad eggs like Shaffarat Parvez making things harder still. Things will only improve if offenders are called out, meaning a strong stance by Trading Standards teams can only be a good thing.
Car finance firms avoid paying millions in compensation after Supreme Court ruling
Motor finance lenders initially avoided vast compensation liabilities after the Supreme Court ruled hidden commission claims were not broadly enforceable. Since then, the Financial Conduct Authority has carried out a consultation on an industry-wide redress scheme covering unfair motor finance agreements, aiming to finalise rules and begin consumer payouts in 2026.
Jack says: Ahh, where do I even start on this one? For a few sweet days the motor trade thought the car finance crisis was over and they no longer needed to worry about this entire mess. The Supreme Court ruling was supposed to bring clarity but what has followed has only fuelled more confusion. The FCA has now concluded its consultation over its redress scheme but there are still so many questions that need to be answered. How this unfolds will undoubtedly be one of the biggest stories to follow throughout 2026.
