01Move
DNA dimensions
Bay utilisation (62–84%), labour rate (£90–£140/hr), avg invoice (£280–£640), MOT pass rate, EV / hybrid share, service-plan DD subscribers, parts margin (24–32%).
All playbooksServices
Auto repair garage playbook.
An independent London auto-repair garage doing servicing, diagnostics, brakes + clutch + cambelt, DPF / EGR / AdBlue work, hybrid + EV high-voltage repair (IMI Level 3/4 certified) and MOT class 4. The 2026 win is a hybrid + EV specialism on the back of London's 2030 ICE ban and a service-plan DD book worth £4k–£12k MRR.
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Overview
A London independent auto-repair garage in 2026 runs four engines: routine servicing + MOT (avg £280, 38–48% margin, 8–14/day per bay), diagnostics + repair (clutch / cambelt / suspension, £640–£1,800 ticket, 32–42% margin, 4–7/day), EV + hybrid high-voltage (IMI Level 3/4 certified, £180–£900 ticket, 44–58% margin, 2–4/day) and service-plan DD subscriptions (£18–£32/month, 200–600 cars). Maths for 4-bay + 3-tech + MOT shop: 220 services + 80 repairs + 40 EV jobs/month × £420 avg = £142k + £6.4k DD = £148k/month gross. EV + hybrid certification is the brand spine — main dealers charge £180/hr for the same battery / power-electronics work, so IMI-certified indies win at £120/hr with 18-month-old loyal customers exiting warranty.
78%
Bay utilisation
£118/hr
Labour rate
240 cars
Service-plan DD
What you'll need
Equipment list with real 2026 UK prices.
Sized for a 2–4 chair shop. Buy mid-range on chairs and clippers; cheap kit fails inside 12 months and walks away with your barbers.
01
Workshop kit
2-post lift (4t Bradbury / Stenhoj) × 3
£3,400–£6,400 each
4-post lift + alignment + jacking beam
£8,400–£18,000
MOT bay (class 4 + class 7) + brake roller + emissions tester + DVSA approval
£24,000–£42,000 turnkey
Diagnostic — Snap-On / Autel MaxiSys + Bosch KTS
£3,400–£8,400
EV / hybrid kit (Cat IV gloves + insulated tools + 1000V multimeter + isolation lockout)
£2,400–£6,400
DPF cleaning machine (FlashCleaner / Hartridge)
£8,400–£18,000
Tyre changer + balancer + nitrogen rig
£3,400–£8,400
Compressor + air-tool fleet
£1,400–£3,400
Parts washer + waste-oil tank + bunded chemical store
£1,400–£3,400
02
Premises
Industrial unit (4-bay, 280–540 m²) + B2 use class
£3,400–£10,000/month rent
Customer waiting area + Wi-Fi + coffee
£2,400–£6,400 capex
Branded reception + parts counter
£3,400–£8,400 capex
GarageHive / TechMan workshop software + Autodata
£280–£640/month
03
Compliance + accreditation
MOT Authorised Examiner (AE) + Nominated Tester (NT)
£100 application + £400 audit + 3-day course £640
IMI TechSafe + Level 3 EV/Hybrid certification per tech
£900–£1,800 per tech
Good Garage Scheme + Trust My Garage
£540–£1,400/year
F-Gas certification (mobile A/C work)
£280 + 1-day course
Public + product + £5m liability + motor trade insurance
£2,400–£5,400/year
Where to set up
Location is half the business.
Catchment
≥40,000 vehicles within 4-mile radius
Service-plan DD pipeline density.
Unit size
280–540 m² with 4–6 bays + MOT lane + 6+ car forecourt
Throughput + courtesy-car turnover.
Use class
B2 general industrial + planning consent for MOT
Council planning is the #1 reason MOT applications fail.
ULEZ + LEZ
Operate within ULEZ — captive customer base servicing compliant cars
ICE-ban anxiety drives EV / hybrid pre-emptive upgrades + repair work.
Proximity to dealerships
≤15 min from 4+ main dealers
Out-of-warranty customer migration pipeline.
Area tier
Rent / month
Notes
Inner London (Wandsworth / Hackney / Brent industrial estate)
£6,400–£18,000
Premium ticket + EV-curious customer base.
Outer London (Croydon / Enfield / Hayes / Bexley)
£3,400–£8,400
Sweet spot: PHV fleet density + suburban service plans.
M25 commuter belt (Watford / Romford / Sutton)
£2,400–£5,400
Domestic dense, lower labour rate.
Licences & registrations
Get the paperwork done before you sign a lease.
UK figures for 2026. Lead times assume you submit complete applications — councils will pause the clock if you miss documents.
Requirement
Who issues
Cost
Lead time
ReqCompanies House Ltd
Companies House
£100
Usually 24 hours
OptMOT Authorised Examiner + Nominated Tester
DVSA
£500 + audit + course £640
12 weeks
OptIMI TechSafe + Level 3 EV/Hybrid per tech
IMI Awards
£900–£1,800 per tech
8 weeks
OptF-Gas (A/C work)
IMI / City & Guilds
£280
4 weeks
ReqPublic + product + £5m + motor trade insurance
A-Plan / Tradex / Unicom
£2,400–£5,400/year
1 week
ReqEmployer's liability + courtesy-car cover
Broker
£900–£2,400/year
1 day
ReqEnvironment Agency T8 exemption (waste oil + tyres)
EA
Free + register
2 weeks
ReqWaste carrier (upper tier)
EA
£154/3 years
2 weeks
ReqHazardous-substance + COSHH risk assessments
HSE
Free (DIY) + consultant £640
2 weeks
ReqPlanning consent (MOT centre)
Borough council
£480–£1,400
10–16 weeks
ReqICO data protection
ICO
£40–£60/year
1 day
Build-out timeline
From decision to open in 12 weeks.
01
Phase 0 — Setup
Weeks 1–8- Companies House + unit search + planning enquiry (MOT bay)
- Insurance + IMI TechSafe enrolment for lead tech
- GarageHive software trial
02
Phase 1 — Fit-out
Weeks 6–16- Lifts + MOT bay install + DVSA pre-audit
- EV high-voltage kit + IMI Level 3 EV cert delivered
- Reception + parts counter + customer waiting fit-out
03
Phase 2 — Pre-launch
Weeks 14–18- DVSA MOT AE approval received
- Good Garage Scheme + Trust My Garage live
- GBP + Google ads + leaflet drop to 12,000 homes
04
Phase 3 — Soft launch
Weeks 16–20- First 40 services + 12 MOTs
- First 20 DD service-plan subscribers
- First PHV fleet contract pitch
05
Phase 4 — Open
Week 20+- 220 service-plan DD subscribers (£4k+ MRR)
- First 40 EV / hybrid jobs
- Bay utilisation > 75%
Budget
Realistic startup and monthly cost ranges.
One-off · Startup
Setting up the shop
Unit lease + deposit + planning + dilapidations cap
£14,000 → £42,000
Lifts + MOT bay + diagnostic + DPF + tyre kit
£62,000 → £140,000
EV / hybrid + F-Gas + specialist tools
£4,400 → £12,000
Reception + waiting area + signage + branding
£8,400 → £22,000
Software + IT + comms
£900 → £2,400
Insurance + IMI + MOT + licences + courses
£4,400 → £10,000
Opening parts stock + consumables
£6,400 → £18,000
Pre-launch marketing (GBP + leaflet + Google ads)
£2,400 → £6,400
Working capital (3 months)
£18,000 → £42,000
Typical total
£120.9k–£294.8k
Recurring · Monthly
Keeping the lights on
Unit rent + business rates + utilities
£4,400 → £14,000
Parts COGS (44–54% revenue)
£18,000 → £42,000
Wages (3 techs + MOT tester + reception + admin)
£18,000 → £36,000
Software + Autodata + GBP + IT
£480 → £1,400
Insurance + IMI refresher + DVSA
£480 → £1,400
Marketing + GBP + Google ads + service-plan reactivation
£1,400 → £4,400
Typical total
£42.8k–£99.2k
Numbers that compound
How a auto repair garage actually looks on a chart.
Illustrative planning ranges, not measured customer data. Toggle the views to see ramp, mix and weekly load.
12-month revenue ramp
Low vs high scenario (£ monthly)
High Low
Illustrative example for planning, not measured customer data.
First 90 days
Dates that actually matter after opening.
01Day 1
Soft open: 4 services + 2 MOTs. £1.4k revenue.
02Day 7
First week: 22 services + 14 MOTs + 4 repairs. £8.4k revenue.
03Day 30
Steady: 80 services, 60 MOTs, 24 repairs, 28 DD subscribers. £42k revenue.
04Day 90
Full ramp: £94k/month, 140 DD subscribers, first EV / hybrid jobs delivered.
05Day 180
Mature: £138k/month, 240 DD subscribers, 78% bay utilisation, PHV fleet partnership signed.
What's inside
DNA, route, automations, integrations, benchmarks, advisors — tuned for a auto repair garage.
02Move
Suggested route
Get IMI TechSafe + Level 3 EV/Hybrid certification, become a Good Garage Scheme + Trust My Garage member, target 200–600 service-plan DD customers at £18–£32/month, partner with 4–8 local dealers + PHV fleet (Uber / Bolt) for steady volume, layer DPF clean + AdBlue diagnostic as £180–£420 premium service.
03Move
Automations
Online booking + courtesy-car selection, pre-MOT reminder 30 + 14 + 3 days, digital vehicle health check (DVHC) photo + video to customer, deferred-work nudge at 30/60/90 days, Stripe + finance link, GBP review 24h post.
04Move
Integrations
GarageHive / TechMan, Autodata / Haynes Pro, VHC + video DVI app, GoCardless DD, Stripe + V12 finance, GBP, Xero.
05Move
Benchmarks
Bay utilisation, EV share and service-plan MRR vs IMI / Trust My Garage London cohort.
06Move
Advisors
Encore advisors from IMI, ex-Halfords Autocentres + Kwik Fit area directors and EV-conversion specialists.
Stack
Modules used in this playbook.
01DNA Engine02Route Map03Launch Twin04Automation05Verified06Encore
Related playbooks
Owners of a auto repair garage often run — or cross-sell with — these adjacent operations.
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