Vehicle repair garages to acquire in the UK
Updated 9 November 2026
Looking to acquire a vehicle repair garage in the UK? Firmbase ranks 9,032 vehicle repair garages using public company information to help buyers prioritise firms for research and potential outreach. The Approach Score ranks firms using public signals including director age and tenure, ownership, business scale, financial strength and recent changes. These firms are not listed for sale, and the ranking does not indicate that an owner is considering a sale.
The median firm has 7 staff and has been in business for 15 years; 43 firms are owned by groups that have acquired several firms in this sector.
Independent garages, body shops, tyre and fast-fit centres and some dealer workshops sit together here because selection uses a motor repair activity code. Servicing and mechanical repairs differ from accident repairs, which insurers can arrange and pay for under motor policies. Buying a vehicle repair garage therefore merits checking the work behind its invoices and whether customers or insurers commission that work.
Choose garages whose workshop capacity meets your demand
For a garage group, Firmbase covers 9,032 UK limited-company and LLP vehicle repair businesses with five or more staff. Use the list to find operators in areas where your group can serve drivers and fleets. Use a local map to identify businesses whose workshop capacity could complement your existing sites.
An ownership view can identify independent garages within a region. Among the repair firms here, 37% have one person holding 75% or more. The median repair business in this list has operated for 15 years. Company age and shareholding cannot reveal whether a garage owner is considering a deal. They give you a starting order for research, with the work mix tested separately.
Follow a job from customer approval through parts ordering, technician work and final invoice. Review how bays, lifts and specialist tools constrain the number of jobs a team can finish. Compare the pace of completed jobs with bay use, technician time and parts delivery. Customer records, warranties and unfinished repairs can create commitments that the company ranking does not measure.
This garage list is a sourcing tool, not a list of businesses for sale. For MOT work in England, Scotland and Wales, check the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency's active test station list; in Northern Ireland, MOTs take place at Driver and Vehicle Agency test centres, not at garages. Do not infer MOT authorisation from a general repair activity code. Review premises, equipment, job records and customer permissions before pricing a workshop.
9,032
Firms
29%
Every director 55+
37%
Held 75%+ by one person
15
Median years in business
7
Median headcount
£500k to £1m
Median turnover band
includes our estimates
Key facts
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency publishes active MOT test stations for England, Scotland and Wales. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
nidirect lists Northern Ireland's Driver and Vehicle Agency test centres. nidirect
The active MOT station list includes the classes of vehicle each station tests. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
The first 25 firms, in Approach Score order
| Rank | Firm | Approach Score | The facts behind the score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burtree Auto Repair Centre Darlington, CO. Durham | Approach Score 94/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 08916025 · Companies House |
| 2 | Braintree Motor Essex | Approach Score 94/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 03524301 · Companies House |
| 3 | Kirkburton Garages Huddersfield | Approach Score 94/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 06049454 · Companies House |
| 4 | Automarine Diesel Services Worthing, West Sussex | Approach Score 92/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 08111167 · Companies House |
| 5 | PLY-Line Services Richmond | Approach Score 92/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 04265404 · Companies House |
| 6 | Sandows Garage Cornwall | Approach Score 92/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 04856410 · Companies House |
| 7 | Burghfield Bridge Tyres Reading | Approach Score 92/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 06040072 · Companies House |
| 8 | Western Road Garage Shoreham-by-SEA, West Sussex | Approach Score 92/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 04157066 · Companies House |
| 9 | K J Rule & SON Truro, Cornwall | Approach Score 91/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 05720022 · Companies House |
| 10 | Safari Engineering Hook | Approach Score 91/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 02948121 · Companies House |
| 11 | Premier Tyres Manchester, Greater Manchester | Approach Score 90/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 05395059 · Companies House |
| 12 | Crediton Commercials Devon | Approach Score 90/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 04636674 · Companies House |
| 13 | Cripps Executive Vehicle Centre Market Harborough, Leicestershire | Approach Score 90/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 04823307 · Companies House |
| 14 | Millfield Agricultural Services ST Helens, Merseyside | Approach Score 90/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 04602947 · Companies House |
| 15 | Carterton Tyres Black Bourton Road Carterton, Oxfordshire | Approach Score 90/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 04000491 · Companies House |
| 16 | Allison Motors Glasgow | Approach Score 89/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. SC391726 · Companies House |
| 17 | IAN Brown Motor Engineers | Approach Score 89/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. SC317701 · Companies House |
| 18 | My Garage Bristol Bristol, South Glos | Approach Score 89/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 08277504 · Companies House |
| 19 | Masumin Motor Spares Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire | Approach Score 89/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 07601453 · Companies House |
| 20 | Eurocars Cheltenham, Gloucestershire | Approach Score 89/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 07038867 · Companies House |
| 21 | Gearbox Centre Buckley, Flintshire | Approach Score 89/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 04673806 · Companies House |
| 22 | Kirkhill Auto Services Dyce, Aberdeen | Approach Score 89/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. SC170280 · Companies House |
| 23 | Phoenix Motors (wigan) Westhoughton, Bolton | Approach Score 89/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 04299864 · Companies House |
| 24 | Fisher Street Garage Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear A director sits on 4 or more companies | Approach Score 89/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 06712435 · Companies House |
| 25 | MKC Garage West Midlands | Approach Score 88/100 |
More about this firm
Company no. 05506229 · Companies House |
9,007 more firms are in the list, in Approach Score order.
You're seeing the first 25. Buy all 9,032 for £8,831 + VAT, with the facts behind each score, director names, shareholders and financials.
Buy the list of all 9,032 firms, with director names, ages and shareholders
Each row comes with the facts behind its score, financials with dates and contact details.
What's in the file
One row per firm, in Approach Score order, as Excel + CSV.
The score and the firm
Directors and shareholders
Some people with significant control appear as Other individual, with no further detail. Director email lookups are not included.
Frequently asked questions
How should I approach a vehicle repair garage owner?
How can MOT status be checked by nation?
What can the garage Approach Score tell me?
What should I examine in unfinished repairs?
How this list is filtered
- Active on Companies House. Companies in liquidation, administration, receivership or a voluntary arrangement, or with a proposal to strike off, are left out.
- Dormant companies are left out.
- Firms whose owners asked to be removed are left out.
- Private limited companies, public limited companies, LLPs and private unlimited companies only. Sole traders and partnerships are not covered.
- SIC code 45200.
- 5 or more staff, from filed headcount or our estimate where none is filed.
- Registered office in the UK.
How this list is built
The Approach Score ranks firms mainly on public Companies House information about owner tenure and age, ownership, size, financial strength and recent register changes.
Firms with higher scores appear first in each list.
Use the ranking to order research, then check each business directly.
What it does not mean
No firm here is for sale, and the score says nothing about any owner's plans.
At least 95% of the firms where we hold directors had them checked in or after November 2026.
What we do not cover
We cover limited companies, LLPs and private unlimited companies. Sole traders and ordinary partnerships are not on Companies House, so they are not here. Regulatory information is not included in this list. Buyers should check the relevant register as part of their due diligence. Vehicle repair has no single sector regulator. Check DVSA's Active MOT Test Stations list for Great Britain; Northern Ireland uses DVA test centres.
Why age bands but no people's names
Age bands come from the month and year of birth on Companies House. This page shows no exact ages and no people's names. Both come with the purchased list. The band edges from 45 to 65 are the ages where the score changes. A row shows no age bands when a director's surname is in the firm's name, its group's name or its website. Those directors' ages still count towards the score.
Is this your firm?
You can ask us to take it off every acquisition page, and out of every list we sell after that. Give us your name and work email, and we send you a link to confirm. If your email address is on the firm's own website domain, the firm comes off once you confirm. If it is not, a person reviews your request first. A list already sold stays with its buyer.
To have personal data erased, see our privacy policy.
Other areas
Buy the list of all 9,032 firms, with director names, ages and shareholders
Each row comes with the facts behind its score, financials with dates and contact details.