Whether you’re a mechanic who’s just qualified for the job, or a long-time veteran in the field who knows their way around the average car interior like the back of their hand, you’ll probably be glad to hear that the demand for car mechanics in the UK is never going to go away!
But while work might always be available, that’s not to say that the requirement for mechanics is equal across the length and breadth of the country, and some areas of the UK definitely see greater levels of demand for car maintenance than others.
So, with that in mind, just where in the UK is the best place to be a mechanic?
To find out, the team here at garage.co.uk did their own bit of research into the topic, analysing the UK’s 30 biggest cities on a variety of essential mechanic factors, such as households using more than one car, electric and hybrid vehicles per 100,00, garages per 100,000 residents, and more, in order to score each city out of 100.
Not only that, but we also shared our top tips on how mechanics can make their businesses stand out over their nearest competition in order to win more work and retain clientele!
The top 5 UK cities for mechanics seeking work
With all our stats gathered and analysed, we can now reveal the top 5 cities in the UK for mechanics looking to start their journey, swap jobs, or set up a new business all of their own:
1. Milton Keynes
The roundabout capital of the UK and located right next to the M1 motorway, Milton Keynes scored a total of 68.61 and is a hub of regular car traffic both local and in passing – making it a mechanic’s dream when it comes to finding work.
For starters, Milton Keynes had the second-highest percentage of households with access to a second car at 82.9%, alongside being the city with the fifth-highest average annual income in the UK at £35,006.
And the good news doesn’t stop there for Milton Keynes mechanics, as it was also third in the top three for driver commutes, with 43.7% of residents driving to work each morning – which makes sense given its direct access to the M1.
However, where Milton Keynes stands out above all other cities is in its number of electric vehicles per 100,000. With 1,519 present in the city, it beats out even London for the number one spot in this category, highlighting it as the go-to area for mechanics looking to get a leg up on fixing future car technology before traditional car models are phased out.
2. Northampton
Next up, in second place, we have Northampton, which scored 61.28 based on our factors. Indeed, much like Milton Keynes, Northampton is located right alongside the M1, putting it in the perfect spot for mechanics seeking plenty of car repair opportunities.
First up, Northampton actually had the third highest number of electric vehicles per 100,000 at 1,222 – fewer than London and Milton Keynes, but not by much – as well as the highest percentage of residents in our top five who regularly drive to work (51.2%).
Yet, the standout factor for Northampton is really in the number of cars per household. Here, Northampton actually claims the top spot, placing ahead of Milton Keynes thanks to 84.1% of households having access to more than one car.
But, with all that being said, Northampton is let down by its middling average annual income (£32,094 per year) and low search volumes around car repairs (998 per 100,000), both of which just stop it from ranking higher than Milton Keynes.
3. Bournemouth
Moving all the way down south for our third-place city, Bournemouth was able to take the last spot in our top three with a respectable score of 56.89 – despite being in a coastal location that’s somewhat out of the way from main motorways.
However, it’s this distance from main roads that might explain why Bournemouth ranked so highly. For one thing, it was the city with the second-highest percentage of residents travelling to work via car, with 47.9% hitting the tarmac each day.
On top of this, Bournemouth was third for the percentage of residents who have access to a second car at 80.6% and was fifth overall for the number of electric cars per 100,000 residents at 1,012.
But much like Northampton, Bournemouth is stopped from ranking any higher in our rankings due to having the lowest annual income in our top five (£29,712) while simultaneously having the most garages per 100,000 residents (117), meaning there will be stiff competition for any mechanics planning to set up shop here.
4. Bristol
In fourth, we have one of the UK’s biggest cities overall with Bristol. A focal point of commuting that’s flanked by the M5 and M4, and bisected directly by the M32, mechanics of all stripes will not be surprised to see this city ranked so high.
Scoring 52.98 in total, Bristol is the third highest city in our ranking for car repair searches, with 3,904 being made per 100,000 residents. This is also followed by Bristol having the fourth-best annual income at £35,212, putting it slightly ahead of Milton Keynes.
Better yet, Bristol, in spite of its size, actually came second in our top five for garages per 100,000, seeing just 88 spread around the local area. Unfortunately, however, this is where the good news for Bristol ends.
As you might expect, being a central hub for work, most Bristolians don’t need to drive for work, and this is replicated by the fact that only 33.1% of residents drive to work (the sixth lowest overall). Still, with that being said, 73.8% of residents do have access to more than one car, putting Bristol eighth here and helping to keep it in the top 5.
5. Leeds
Last, but not least, to round out the top five, we have Leeds. Boasting a total score of 50.52, and being the connecting point for countless of the UK’s main A roads and motorways, Leeds stands out as a fantastic place for mechanics looking for fresh work opportunities.
Straightaway, Leeds stands out from the crowd by virtue of having the third lowest number of garages per 100,000 residents at just 47, giving mechanics plenty of room to set up a new business before new competition creeps in.
This brilliant stat is then backed by Leeds having the third highest annual income of the top five at £32,330. Combine this with it being the seventh highest overall for electric vehicles per 100,000 at 868 and mechanics in this area will have plenty to work with – both literally and figuratively!
However, while Leeds has many stats that lend itself well towards mechanic work, it is let down by being middle of the table for people driving to work (41.8%), and it was bottom of the top 5 for households with access to a second car (71.3%). Still, these are good stats to hold when compared to the other cities on our list.
How to make your mechanic business stand out
Having examined the top five cities for mechanics in the UK, we thought we’d briefly touch on some of the things that mechanics and garage owners can do to help their businesses stand out from the crowd.
Below are our top tips for widening your customer base in your local area:
- Get online – nowadays, if your business doesn’t have an online presence, then you’re almost certainly missing out on customers. So, if you haven’t already, create a simple website that customers can use to reach out to you and book appointments.
- Use social media – similarly to having a website, there are very few businesses, big or small, who are not on social media. Even if it’s just a small presence on one or two social media sites, you're bound to bring in more customers by getting active in these spaces.
- Widen your service offering – while standard car services, repairs, and MOTs are a mechanic’s bread and butter, if you can find ways to create additional services that your business can provide (such as electric car repairs or MOT booking reminders), then you’ll be able to appeal to a broader customer base.
- Encourage reviews – perfect for drawing in new and potential leads, encouraging previous customers to leave reviews will help to build on the already excellent reputation of your business.
- Team up with other businesses – lastly, if there are local scrap dealers and automotive shops in your area, then there’s no harm in reaching out to them to see if they’re willing to recommend you (and vice-versa) to their customers as a way of promoting both businesses.
Make car servicing simple with our team
So, now you know the best cities in the UK for mechanics. Of course, this is just an overall view of the UK car repair industry, and you should not discount the need for skilled mechanics in and around your local area – especially if you’re just starting out!
However, if you’re already a skilled mechanic, and you’re looking for ways to add further credibility to your business, then why not register yourself on our garage locator system? Designed to help customers find reputable mechanics in their area; by signing up, your business will be entered in our database – letting customers know that you’re a mechanic that’s worth working with.
Get in touch with our team to learn more, and don’t forget to visit our blog for more insightful pieces like this one.
Methodology
This dataset ranks the 30 most populated cities in the UK based on how good they are to be a mechanic in. To do this, 6 different factors were used. Once the data for the factors was collected, the factors were then normalised to provide each factor with a score between 0 and 1.
If data was not available, a score of 0 was given.
The normalised values were then summed and multiplied to give each city a total score out of 100. The cities were then ranked from highest to lowest, based on their total scores.
The factors used were as follows:
- Residents travelling to work by car or van – the percentage of residents in each city that travel to work by driving a car or van, according to UK census data.
- Households with more than one car or van – the percentage of households that own or use more than 1 car or van, according to UK census data. [Weighted 2x]
- Plug-in vehicles per 100k – the number of plug-in vehicles per 100,000 population in each city i.e. electric, hybrid-electric etc, as of 2024.
- Average annual income – the average median income in each city, as of 2024.
- Search volume per 100k – the combined number of searches in each city for the prompts "car repair near me" and "mechanic near me" per 100,00 population. Data from Feb 24 - Jan 25.
- Garages per 100k – the number of garages in each city that are an active MOT station per 100,000 population, as of 2024.
The factors were then indexed as follows:
- Residents travelling to work by car or van – higher is better.
- Households with more than one car or van – higher is better.
- Plug-in vehicles per 100k – higher is better.
- Average annual income – higher is better.
- Search volume per 100k – higher is better.
- Garages per 100k – lower is better.
All data is correct as of 14/02/25. The ranking data shown is a compilation of multiple data sources and may not be representative of real life. All data is accurate with regard to the sources provided.
Excluding search volume and garages, data for individual cities was gathered using the local authority they are located in, and London used values of the region where possible, or, alternatively, an average was calculated from all London boroughs.