USED CAR GIANT CAUGHT SELLING EVS THAT COULD BURST INTO FLAMES
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One of Britain’s biggest used car dealerships has been found trying to sell electric cars with known faults in a potential breach of consumer law.
The Telegraph has identified a string of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) advertised for sale on Big Motoring World that were subject to active safety recalls relating to fire risks – without informing prospective owners up-front.
The online adverts boasted that every car sold by the Kent-based group passed its 200-point inspection, but the recalls were not mentioned.
This newspaper identified 125 Ford Kuga cars for sale and two Volvo EX30s. Certain batches or models of these cars have faced widespread recalls because of battery fire risks.
Electric vehicle battery fires are particularly deadly because of “thermal runaway”, where heat can spread to other nearby cells in a battery causing a rapid chain reaction that can rip through cars.
In 2024, a woman from Northamptonshire said she and her family were lucky to have escaped their electric car after it exploded while parked on their driveway, engulfing their house in flames.
Checking the vehicles’ registration numbers against the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) database, this newspaper found five of the 125 Kugas advertised on Big Motoring World’s website had been recalled, along with both of the EX30s.
Another Kuga was listed for sale with an expired MOT, despite the listing claiming it had “checked” and “passed”.
Ford issued an urgent recall of the Kuga plug-in hybrid car last March, and has warned drivers not to charge the high-voltage battery above 80pc because of a risk it might short-circuit out on the road, potentially causing a loss of power or fire.
That recall covered the current-generation Kuga which has been on sale since 2019. Drivers should only operate impacted cars in “Auto EV” mode while Ford engineers work on a remedy, which the manufacturer has said is expected by mid-2026.
But it is not the first time the Ford Kuga has been recalled. In 2020, the carmaker was forced to replace the battery units of more than 27,000 vehicles after seven caught fire while charging.
Volvo has also faced scrutiny over the handling of the recall affecting one of its most popular EVs, the EX30.
Thousands of EX30 drivers in the UK have been left waiting for repairs after a fire risk warning. Volvo has said the number of cars where the fault has actually occurred is about 0.01pc of all EX30s sold.
Repairs started in June and about 10pc of affected cars in the UK have been inspected and had the faulty batteries replaced.
Big Motoring World, which operates 11 used car stores across the UK and sold more than 60,000 vehicles in 2025, is not an official Volvo retailer.
Separately, The Telegraph found one Kia EV3 advertised on the Big Motoring World website, which was flagged on the DVSA website as having an open recall.
The recall of Kia’s EV3 was issued this April, after a software fault was identified with the car’s digital dashboard. It can cause the screen to freeze, restart or go blank, and can turn the blind-spot camera view green when the indicators are used.
Some 45pc of affected vehicles have undergone the necessary software updates.
Big Motoring World said that the Kia EV3’s software had been updated as required, but that DVSA records can take up to six weeks to reflect remedial action.
Under UK law, used car dealers must fix any vehicles subject to manufacturer recalls before selling them on.
Dealers who fail to do so can face criminal prosecution by Trading Standards.
If a car is advertised while waiting for a needed update or upgrade, the listing should clearly state that the safety recall is outstanding.
Big Motoring World said it would remove all of the adverts where the cars were subject to active recalls after The Telegraph approached the company for comment.
A spokesman said: “While we endeavour to avoid having recall vehicles in stock, recall issues can arise at any point in time. To manage this, we have dedicated staff responsible for maintaining accurate recall status by constantly monitoring our changing stock mix against the recalls published on the gov.uk website.
“In the instance that we identify a vehicle in our stock with an outstanding recall, we have thorough and robust processes in place to book that vehicle in with the relevant vehicle manufacturer for the fault to be rectified at the earliest opportunity.”
The vehicle identified as having an expired MOT is being addressed and the company has sent a reminder to its teams about status checks.
The spokesman added that vehicle safety was of “utmost importance” and that Big Motoring World would appreciate further support from manufacturers in fulfilling recalls.
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2026-08-07T11:40:24Z
