Motorists pick Britain’s best garages
Motor Codes, the operator of government-backed codes of practice for the motor industry, has revealed the 20 most trusted garages in the UK, as nominated by the public.
Moved house? Changed car? Simply want to find a garage you can trust? Around 11,500 garage customers from across the UK have made that decision easier, voting in the annual Motor Codes Garage of the Year contest to endorse the first-class customer experiences they’ve enjoyed at one of the 7,250 garages within the network.
The top 20 – the regional Garage of the Year winners – represent the wide range of choice when it comes to car servicing and is made up of 10 franchised main dealers and 10 independent garages.
Reflecting on what the competition means for car owners, Chris Mason, managing director of Motor Codes, sees it as a step towards wiping out the stereotypical minefield of the cowboy-garage past and as a way of letting motorists know where to find a good garage:
“This is about putting trustworthy garages in the shop window, giving their customers a way to show their appreciation and, importantly, ensuring that people don’t have to feel anxious about choosing a garage. Even better for motorists, our results are a stark contrast to the findings released this month by Citizens Advice, which has clocked up a similar number of complaints about garages over the past year.”
Citizens Advice placed complaints against independent garages third in its list of consumer gripes, based on 11,437 calls to its advice lines.*
For Chris, the message is clear:
“This shows exactly where people should look for a garage. For a risk-free experience, with back-up from the Motor Codes independent advice line, choose an approved code subscriber.”
The regional winners will now have their votes and customer feedback analysed by a panel of motoring experts chaired by Chris Mason and including TV presenter Vicki Butler-Henderson, Auto Express editor-in-chief, Steve Fowler and lead Trading Standards motoring officer, Tim Milsom.
The overall champions – the franchised main dealer and independent Garage of the Year – will be announced at a celebratory event held at the Motor Codes headquarters on 10 April.
Motorists who voted in the competition will be entered into a prize draw to win tickets to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship finale at Brands Hatch, with full hospitality provided by Porsche Cars GB, a chance to attempt to relive the on-track action with a Porsche Driving Day, as well as some spending money in the shape of £250 Love2shop vouchers supplied by Unipart Car Care Centres.
