SmartBuyMotors Ltd

Reference number: 978387

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Introducer appointed representative

This firm can only introduce you to its principal, and cannot give financial advice, recommend products, or arrange deals alone.

Responsible principal firm

21st Century Vehicles Limited Reference number: 674253 Authorised View firm →
What does this mean?
  • An introducer appointed representative can only pass your details to its principal firm. It cannot recommend products, give financial advice, or arrange deals on its own.
  • SmartBuyMotors Ltd (FRN 978387) introduces customers to 21st Century Vehicles Limited (FRN 674253). Any regulated advice or arranging is done by the principal, not SmartBuyMotors.
  • Example: if SmartBuyMotors refers you to a financial adviser, the advice should come from the principal firm, not from SmartBuyMotors itself.
  • Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

In the full report: 3 background checks

  • When smartbuymotors.co.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 0800 288 8049 is
  • Who else gives the postcode CF38 1PW
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FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Protection through the principal firm
    Protection works through 21st Century Vehicles Limited, the principal firm responsible for this firm's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.
  • Complaints Ombudsman, free
    You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.

FCA disciplinary action and complaints

No FCA disciplinary action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.

Companies House record

The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.

Company number
13078285
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
11 December 2020 (5 years old)
Registered office
Unit 14 I Hepworth Buisness Park, Coedcae Lane, Pontyclun, Rhondda Cynon Taf, CF72 9FQ
Nature of business
  • Sale of used cars and light motor vehicles (SIC 45112)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Craig Thomas Director May 1985 11 Dec 2020 6 other companies

Other companies run by its director

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies
6
closed down
2
is FCA-registered
1

In the full report: all 6 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of its director sits on each board, and since when
  • Any that went into liquidation or administration
  • The one on the FCA register
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Filed accounts and finances

Year to 31 December 2025Small company accountsNot audited

Net assets

£179k

+5.2% from £170k

Cash at bank

£18.9k

+183% from £6,687

Employees (average)

5

+25% from 4

Assets and liabilities

In the full report: all 5 years of accounts

  • Every year from 2021 to 2025
  • The chart, over every year
  • Every filed figure, year by year
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About these figures
Turnover
Money taken from sales in the year, before any costs.
Profit before tax
What was left after the year’s costs, before corporation tax. A minus figure is a loss.
Net assets, or total equity
Everything the company owns minus everything it owes. A minus figure means it owes more than it owns.
Total assets and total liabilities
Everything the company owns, and everything it owes, on the last day of the year. The gap between them is its net assets.
Cash at bank
Money in the company’s accounts on the last day of the year.
Owed within a year, owed after a year
Debts and bills due in the next twelve months, and those due later.

There is no turnover or profit: small companies do not have to publish them.

Accounts filed at Companies House for company 13078285. Every figure is as filed, apart from total assets and total liabilities, which are added up from filed figures. Nothing is estimated.

Key dates in its history

SmartBuyMotors’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

2026

30 April 2026

  • Changed its registered name from "Smart Buy Motors Ltd"

FCA register

2022

4 July 2022

  • Became an introducer appointed representative
  • Began trading as "Smart Buy Motors"

FCA register

2020

11 December 2020

  • Incorporated at Companies House
  • Craig Thomas took control (75–100% of shares)
  • Craig Thomas appointed as a director

Companies House

Director appointments and resignations, and trading names, appear under All events.

Firms connected to SmartBuyMotors

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with SmartBuyMotors. A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.

connected firm
1
share a director
1

In the full report: the connected firm, named

  • How it is linked: shared directors (1)
  • Who links it to this firm: the named directors, with dates
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Firms like SmartBuyMotors

Other firms of the same type (car dealer), nearest first.

In Pontypridd

Ccr Motor Co. LtdPontypriddAppointed representativeJohn F. Hutchings LimitedPontypriddAppointed representativeAuto Range Trade Centre LtdPontypriddAuthorisedBroadway van Centre LimitedpontypriddAuthorisedCar Champ LtdPontypriddAuthorisedExcell Garage and Car Sales LimitedPontypriddAuthorised

Firms are listed by type and location, best known first. Being listed is not a recommendation: check any firm before you deal with it.

Get the full report on SmartBuyMotors

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

  • 6 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • 5 years of accounts, charted
  • All 6 events in its history
  • 1 connected firm, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is SmartBuyMotors Ltd FCA authorised?
SmartBuyMotors Ltd (FRN 978387) is not directly authorised. It is an appointed representative acting under the responsibility of a directly authorised principal firm.
What does introducer appointed representative mean for SmartBuyMotors?
An introducer appointed representative can only pass your details to its principal firm. It cannot recommend products, give financial advice, or arrange deals on its own. SmartBuyMotors Ltd (FRN 978387) introduces customers to 21st Century Vehicles Limited (FRN 674253). Any regulated advice or arranging is done by the principal, not SmartBuyMotors. Example: if SmartBuyMotors refers you to a financial adviser, the advice should come from the principal firm, not from SmartBuyMotors itself. Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.
What is SmartBuyMotors’ phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 0800 288 8049 and the website smartbuymotors.co.uk for SmartBuyMotors. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is SmartBuyMotors a scam or clone?
SmartBuyMotors is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.
Is my money safe with SmartBuyMotors?
Protection works through 21st Century Vehicles Limited, the principal firm responsible for SmartBuyMotors's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.
Who owns SmartBuyMotors?
Companies House lists one person with significant control of SmartBuyMotors: Mr Craig Thomas (75–100% of shares).
Who runs SmartBuyMotors?
Companies House lists one director of SmartBuyMotors: Craig Thomas.
How long has SmartBuyMotors been in business?
The company was formed on 11 December 2020.
What do SmartBuyMotors’ latest accounts show?
Its latest accounts, to 31 December 2025, show net assets of £179k (+5.2% from £170k) and cash at bank of £18.9k (+183% from £6,687).

Sources and links

The full report on SmartBuyMotors Ltd

£19.99 · Instant PDF download

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