According to a 2016 report by the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federations, the UK automotive aftermarket is worth approximately £11.2 billion and supports around 345,000 jobs.

The report also states that the industry is the fourth largest in Europe, with more than 30 million vehicles requiring regular servicing and maintenance work.

With an estimated 42,500 workshops spread throughout the UK, the aftermarket industry is a vital component in the British economy, however, little has been made of the impact Brexit could have on independent garages.

Nat Corbet opened Nest Autos in February, having never run a Business in his life, despite the gloomy predictions of economic downturn made since the UK voted to leave the EU.

Nat said:

“I have worked in the industry for around 25 years but decided to open my own garage after getting tired of bad service from other garages in my area, it has turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made.”

Nat has enjoyed so much success in his first month of operations, his six-month business plan has been completely written off.

“We have been blow away by the amount of work that has come through the door and it’s been incredibly busy since day one.”

Kathy Mills joined the business as a receptionist and introduced Nat to WhoCanFixMyCar.com, a website which sends jobs directly to garages from drivers.

Over 9,000 garages use the platform to generate business as over 30,000 drivers request quotes for repair and service work each month.

Kathy said:

“In just over two months we have won over 50 jobs through the website alone. The sheer volume of work available is incredible.

“I haven’t been in work for six years as I have been raising my little girl, so to come back and get immediate success is great. I have job security and job satisfaction because we have been able to find so many customers online.”

The pair have been so overwhelmed with the amount of new business, extra staff have had to be drafted in so customers don’t have to be turned away.

Nat said:

“I haven’t had enough time to repair all of the cars which have come to the garage, so I have hired another technician and taken on an apprentice already.

Signing up to WCFMC has been incredibly important for Nest Autos and it’s looking like we’re going to have a great year ahead.”

There are hundreds of similar stories from all over the UK as independent garages are making the most of a growing consumer trend.

WhoCanFixMyCar sent over £120 million worth of work to garages on the platform in 2016 and the company has grown tenfold over the past two years as over 450,000 consumers have used the platform to find workshops like Nest Autos.

Comparing; insurance, flights, hotels, broadband and bank accounts has been second nature to users online for a few years, so the natural progression to comparing garages and prices for car repair has come as no surprise to Digital Marketing Manager for WhoCanFixMyCar, Louis Butcher:

“We are currently receiving over 30,000 requests for quotes a month and that number is growing constantly.

Consumers are using aggregators increasingly so, to the point they now expect to be able to compare a variety options quickly and effortlessly, no matter what the product or service. Car maintenance is no different, which is why we are seeing just fantastic growth on our platform.”

Each garage member receives reviews and displays an online customer satisfaction rating out of five, meaning drivers are able to make an informed decision based on the experiences of other motorists.

The trust we build between drivers and garages is vitally important because the aftermarket is traditionally an industry consumers are suspicious of, but we’re changing that.”

Despite Article 50 being triggered on the 29th of March and the formal process of leaving the EU will begin, it is doubtful that Nat and Kathy will listen to the inevitable predictions of economic downturn to come, instead, they’ll be winning more work online and driving their new business into the future with great expectations.

“We’re not worried about Brexit at all as the effect will be minimal at the local economic level and in reality, it will have very little effect on the business.” Said Nat.

“I have been able to pay off debts I have carried for years which makes a massive difference to my personal life. The whole team is in a really positive mood and excited for the future.”