This article was prepared by Trust Motors and is being published by the New Zealand Herald as advertorial.

Trust Motors attributed its success to sticking to its core values after posting record annual sales and sweeping the board at the 2025 BuyerScore awards.

Father and son, Jonathan and George Hiscock formed the company in 2019 with $400,000 in start-up capital. “It was incredibly tough to begin with, more of a baptism of fire actually,” Jonathan Hiscock commented. “We really didn’t have the financial means to gain traction in what is a very competitive market. Most of our friends thought we were mad but we kept our heads down and held on by the skin of our teeth. I think we sold less than 80 cars in that first year with George doing virtually everything front of house and me supporting him behind the scenes.

“And then the Covid pandemic struck and we almost went out of business. But through it all, we stuck to our core values and a willingness to go the extra mile for our small but loyal customer base. It’s hard to put in words but both George and I just had an inner belief that things would work out for the best.”

Today the company, which specialises in high-end performance, family SUVs, and recreational vehicles, has seen sales revenues grow exponentially. Sales are on track to top $80 million in 2025 and 25 people are employed at the 11,000sq m super-site that the company purchased in February of this year.

The values behind the success

Jonathan Hiscock (chairman) and George Hiscock (managing director) believe that what differentiates Trust Motors from its competition are eight core values that are as relevant today as they were at the beginning of their journey:

Integrity: “We do what we say we are going to do. We don’t make excuses.”

Humility: “It’s not that we think less of ourselves, it’s about thinking of ourselves less.”

Commitment: “Be all in or get all out. There is no halfway house.”

Accountability: “We see it, own it, solve it. Doing it right the first time is not our goal but our standard.”

Continuous Improvement: “We constantly seek new areas for innovation and growth. Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”

Teamwork: Our individual actions are brought together for common purpose. Together everyone achieves more.

Fun: “We strive to be a great place to work. Work hard. Have fun. Make a difference.”

Community outreach: “We can’t keep what we have without giving some away to those in need.”

Jonathan Hiscock added: “They’re not mottos that we hang on the wall. It’s the way we do things, a way of life, striving always to do the best we possibly can.”

Awards clean sweep

Trust Motors first gained recognition as NZ’s and Auckland’s best large dealership in the 2023 BuyerScore awards.

In 2024, the company made an unprecedented clean sweep of all the major awards (Best Auckland Large Dealership, Best NZ Large Dealership, and Supreme Winner in all categories for NZ).

The company has once again won all three awards for 2025 with a record-breaking customer satisfaction score of 4.98 out of 5 over more than 1500 deals. Three of its sales consultants have been rated in New Zealand’s top five, including Liam Peters, who was named Supreme Winner.

‘Most accurate’ measure of customer satisfaction

BuyerScore is an independent rating service covering over 260 New Zealand car dealerships. It gathers verified customer feedback. The latest awards are based on insights from more than 162,000 customers.

Because of its scale and independence, BuyerScore is widely regarded as the most accurate means of monitoring real levels of customer satisfaction within the automotive industry.

“Trust Motors has never forgotten its roots. It’s always been a question of doing the right thing, one customer at a time. Staying humble as we grow is very important to us,” managing director George Hiscock said.

The BuyerScore awards vindicate this approach.

“We’re immensely grateful to the many hundreds of customers who have taken the time to submit feedback – and for the trust they have placed in us.”

Loyalty and integrity at the core

Trust Motors says its overarching guiding principle is treating staff, customers, and suppliers like family. “We embrace a culture of servant leadership – a form of reverse hierarchy where it doesn’t matter who you are. You get treated with the same respect and dignity.”

“The development of our team is also very important to us,” George Hiscock added. “We offer a Sales Cadet Program for budding sales consultants with a passion for cars. Over the course of our history, we have managed to retain all of our key staff and overseen their development into senior roles in the business.”

“This loyalty has flowed on to customers, with some returning to purchase as many as 10 times from the business.”

Trust Motors says it has always operated in a progressive and ethical way. The company contributes significant sums through its community outreach scheme including David Letele’s BBM Motivation, a food share and life coaching program for people in need in South and West Auckland.

“We wouldn’t be here today if we didn’t have our values at the core of everything we do,” Jonathan Hiscock said.

Giving customers what they want

Its revenue growth has allowed Trust Motors to transition from being a run-of-the-mill car yard to specialising in high-quality family, recreational and performance vehicles.

“We differentiate our product hard through expert sourcing, customisation and accessorisation – giving our customers exactly what they want. We don’t market cars that look like every other Hilux or Camaro on the road,” George added.

Acquiring the Manukau super-site positions Trust Motors as a premier destination for car buyers, enabling further showroom expansion and solidifying its status as New Zealand’s number 1 rated car dealership.

For more information visit trustmotors.co.nz