Top 6 Car Repair Franchises in the UK

If you’d like to work in a practical, growing industry performing important work and helping a new customer every day, a car repair franchise might well be the ideal choice. As a franchisee with a car repair business, you’ll be your own boss and build your own success - with franchisor support always on hand to help you along the way.

The motor vehicle maintenance and repair industry contains nearly 45,000 businesses [IBISWorld] so, as you can imagine, finding the right franchise fit can take some time. If you’re ready to make a career change with a car repair franchise, this article will offer you six amazing investment options available to you in the UK right now...

Why start a car repair franchise?

In the UK, the Motor Repair and Service Industry has an estimated market size of £27.3bn in 2018, a 3% increase on the previous year. The industry has benefitted from a strong compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.2% through the five years to 2019.
- Paul Whitney, Hallidays

Demand in the UK car repair industry is evidently growing. With more cars on the road, it stands to reason that more cars need repair and maintenance. If you’d like to make a strong and stable investment that will be largely recession-proof and future-proof, then starting your own car repair franchise is a good option. Even beyond the fact that it could be a very lucrative, steady investment, there are many advantages to a career in auto repair:

• The ability to work flexibly and set your own hours
• The chance to build a team of trusted employees and establish a talented workforce
• The room for growth, expansion and experimentation
• The many different niche areas to explore and find a market corner in
• The irreplaceable nature of the work (it has to be done physically, and can’t be done online)
• The support and training of an expert franchisor and a full franchise network

The 6 top auto repair franchises in the UK

When you’ve decided that you want to enter the world of franchising and become a car repair specialist, you’ll then need to decide who to invest with. If you’re still trying to figure out where to put your money, here are six great franchise investment options to consider....

1. Revive!

Revive! was founded in 1994 and has since become a nationwide franchise. The business’s team of technicians specialises in alloy wheel repair and repairing damage to car paintwork, including bumper scuffs and minor chips.

• Becoming a Revive! Auto Innovations franchisee: You won’t need industry experience, but you will need to be commercially astute, organised, good at communicating, and able to build a rapport and establish relationships with local dealers.
• How much you need to invest: You’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £14,000, with a total investment cost of £32,000.
• What you get for your investment: You’ll receive a comprehensive package of initial training and ongoing support, including business management training, marketing and branding guidance, and support with technician recruitment.

2. Screen Rescue

Founded in 2012, Screen Rescue is known for its outstanding customer service and high-quality repairs. It’s the UK’s only windscreen and glass repair franchise operating exclusively in the automotive industry (within all commercial vehicle sectors).

• Becoming a Screen Rescue franchisee: You don’t need any specific experience with windscreen and glass repair to become a franchisee, but you should be friendly, ambitious and driven.
• How much you need to invest: You’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £19,750, with a total investment cost of £35,000. 
• What you get for your investment: You’ll receive 10 days of induction training, an assisted business launch, territory visits, and business development support. You’ll also be entitled to ongoing coaching, and NVQ assessments and accreditations.

3. ChipsAway

ChipsAway is a van-based franchise which was first established in the UK in 1994. Providing SMART windscreen repairs to car owners across the UK, the ChipsAway network is rapidly expanding, and currently consists of over 200 franchisees.

• Becoming a ChipsAway franchisee: You don’t need any industry experience. According to ChipsAway, the ideal franchisee is simply someone looking to combine a flexible working lifestyle with true job security.
• How much you need to invest: You’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £15,000, with a total investment cost of £29,995.
• What you get for your investment: You’ll receive a full programme of training and support, including marketing guidance, IT assistance, technical training and business mentoring.

4. Optic-Kleer

Optic-Kleer is the largest windscreen repair company in the UK, and has been providing clients with top quality services since 1991. Over the years, Optic-Kleer has gained a brilliant reputation for preventing any further damage to clients’ windscreens.

• Becoming an Optic-Kleer franchisee: You won’t need industry experience, but you will need strong financial management skills and an entrepreneurial spirit. You should also be committed, friendly, energetic and ambitious.
• How much you need to invest: You’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £19,950.
• What you get for your investment: You’ll receive plenty of training and managerial support, both initially and on an ongoing basis. This will include operational training, marketing assistance and mentoring.

5. Etyres

Etyres was established in 1992, and opened its first franchise in 1996. Quality tyres at low prices can be purchased from (and fitted by) a branch of the franchise network, which is now present across the UK and growing at a steady rate.

• Becoming a Etyres franchisee: You’ll need to be personally invested in building a successful business, sociable, and hard-working.
• How much you need to invest: You’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £24,000.
• What you get for your investment: You’ll receive extensive training (covering sales, products, marketing, data management, practical work and more) and ongoing support, including continuous investment in technological advances.

6. Hometyre

Hometyre was first established over a decade ago, when its founder noticed a lack of specialist tyre services. Since then, it’s become one of the UK’s leading tyre replacement companies and pulls in an average revenue of around £5 million. 

• Becoming a Hometyre franchisee: You should be enthusiastic and business minded, with people skills and a willingness and ability to work outdoors in various different weather conditions.
• How much you need to invest: You’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £20,000, with a total investment cost of £40,000. 
• What you get for your investment: You’ll receive a comprehensive training programme and help handling your sales enquiries, restocking and managing logistics.

Enjoy a dynamic and successful career running your own business in the car repair sector

For more information on starting your journey with a car repair franchise, stay on Point Franchise. Check out the eight steps for opening a car garage, or the five biggest benefits of being an auto repair shop owner.