What Car? guide to car supermarkets - Car Giant, London

CHOICE
There was plenty of choice, from city cars to luxury saloons. The cars ranged from '05/55-plate examples back as far as '00/X.

PRICES
We reckon Car Giant's prices to be an average of 3% below those listed in the trade guides, which is good, and there are plenty of decent deals.

DID IT HAVE THE CARS WE SAW ONLINE?
Armed with a stock list, it was possible to track down the cars we'd seen, but due to the sheer number of vehicles it might be easier to ask a salesman for help.

HIDDEN CHARGES
There's a £61 admin fee, but it's clearly stated on the windscreens.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THINGS GO WRONG?
All cars are given a 114-point mechanical check but no warranty is included in the price. You can buy extended cover.

FINANCE
Getting a finance quote was the quickest and easiest part of our visit: we simply pulled up a chair and the figures were worked out there and then. Car Giant use Black Horse Finance and the rate offered was 7% flat (14% APR).

PART-EXCHANGE
Getting a part-ex value was a long-winded process. We got a form from the salesman, then had to take it to another part of the site so the value could look at our car. We were offered a low £4500 for our Mondeo.

TEST DRIVE
Test drives were available and we were told we could have one, but our salesman disappeared to look after other customers and then didn't come to find us. We waited for 40 minutes, then got bored.

CONDITION
The condition of the cars wasn't great. They had been cleaned, but we saw quite a few scrapes and scratches. We were also appalled that the car we were considering had been damaged and badly repaired, lowering its value. No mention was made of this on the car's details.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
Our visit to Car Giant wasn't quick. By the time we'd looked around, found a salesman, waited for a test drive, got a value for our trade-in and a finance quote, we had been there for three hours.

Salesman Riaan was friendly, but the issue of the test drive was annoying, and he didn't seem too enthusiastic to close a deal with us. The fact that the Focus we looked at had been repaired badly was also a serious concern.

Verdict
A giant selection of cars, but laid-back sales staff and the crash-damaged car were a turn-off.

CAR GIANT
44-45 Hythe Road (off Scrubs Lane), White City, London NW10 6RJ
Web: www.cargiant.co.uk
Phone: 0870 811 5533