Enter Your Garage!
Enter your garage into The BIG Awards 2025! Click the links below to read about the categories and to submit your application.
Details: This award is for a business that has started trading in the past 12 to 24 months and has had a strong start with great potential for future growth.
We’re looking for: A garage that has a unique profile and has a commitment to raising standards in the independent sector by demonstrating a well-managed business, providing exceptional customer service, with best working practices and well-supported staff.
Details: This award recognises an exceptional individual whose outstanding leadership, strategic thinking, and business acumen have significantly contributed to the success and growth of their independent garage. The winner will have demonstrated exemplary management skills, including financial oversight, team leadership, operational efficiency, and customer service excellence. This category honours those who have shown a clear commitment to innovation, adaptability, and driving the business forward in a competitive marketplace.
We’re looking for: A business manager that can demonstrate they have taken significant strides forward in business expansion, team leadership, operational best practice, and developing services through strong management to create an improved profitable growth. The recipient will stand out for their ability to not only meet but exceed business targets while fostering a positive workplace culture.
Details: This award is for businesses who take a proactive role in their local community or wider area. More than just vehicle service and repair, the winner will be able to evidence strong community links and the contribution made to their local community. This could be organising events for your community, raising money for charity, sponsoring a local team—anything you do to help your community.
We’re looking for: A garage that is committed to improving the lives of others. Do you raise money for a good cause or run a local event for the benefit of your community? This is the category for you.
Details: This award identifies an independent garage that goes the extra mile for its customers by delivering positive, memorable experiences and extraordinary customer care, as evidenced by their customers’ votes.
We’re looking for: High ratings and testimonials from customers who have recognised the outstanding service they received, demonstrating a garage that consistently goes above and beyond expectations.
Details: This award celebrates the outstanding achievements of a young individual who is currently enrolled in, or has recently completed, an apprenticeship within the independent garage sector. The Apprentice of the Year will demonstrate a strong commitment to developing their skills, showing initiative, technical proficiency, and a genuine passion for automotive repair and service.
We’re looking for: Evidence of personal growth, exceptional contributions to the garage team, and a positive impact on the business. Candidates should embody the values of hard work, enthusiasm, and a desire to excel in the automotive industry, representing the future of independent garages in the UK.
Details: This award celebrates independent garages excelling in the rapidly evolving field of electric vehicle (EV) repair and maintenance. Open to garages demonstrating expertise, innovation, and a commitment to staying at the forefront of EV technology, this category recognizes those offering exceptional service and technical skill in the growing EV market.
We’re looking for: Garages that have made significant investments in specialised training, advanced equipment, and customer care, ensuring safe, reliable, and eco-friendly solutions for EV owners. We seek a garage that not only excels in EV servicing but also demonstrates the capability to handle complex EV repairs.
Details: This award is for a business that truly puts its customers first by demonstrating a culture of exceptional customer service. This garage listens to its customers’ problems and consistently goes the extra mile to solve them, delivering a personal, meaningful service.
We’re looking for: A consistent exceptional level of customer service that is engrained within the business at all levels, going above and beyond to exceed customer expectations. The judges especially want to see customer testimonials, an exceptional level of online customer reviews, which will remain anonymous outside of the judging panel.
Details: This award is for a business that is demonstrating environmental awareness. This should include waste and recycling procedures that meet regulation, use of renewable energy sources, implementation of water-saving technologies and any processes that contribute to environmental awareness and protection.
We’re looking for: Evidence of compliance with current regulation. Clear communication of your commitment to environmental sustainability and the positive impact your processes have on the environment. The judges will look for a garage that demonstrates a long-term commitment to sustainability and a continuous effort to improve the impact your garage has on the environment. Judges will also consider the extent to which your company engages in business considered to be protective of the environment, (e.g. EV sales and repairs), and your commitment to upskilling those within the business to support that effort.
Details: This award commends a used car retailer with either an online marketplace or physical premises that offers quality vehicles, exceptional customer service and an overall buying experience which differentiates itself from the competition.
We’re looking for: An independent used car retailer that can provide evidence of how the highest levels of satisfaction are achieved throughout all stages of their customers’ journey.
Details: This award is for businesses employing a minimum of 11 staff overall. The winning garage will show true excellence and professionalism by working to best practices, demonstrating extraordinary customer service, and showing a passion and drive that elevates their business to be among the best independent garages in Britain.
We’re looking for: A garage that has contributed to raising standards in the independent sector by demonstrating a well-managed business with exemplary customer service, best working practices, well-supported staff, and a strong financial structure.
Details: This award is for a garage that has perfected its marketing strategy and excels in consumer outreach and interaction, actively engaging with their customers and local community through a wide range of channels.
We’re looking for: A garage that has developed a strong communications and marketing strategy with engaging, up-to-date content that is generating a sustained business benefit. The winner must be able to demonstrate how it targets and talks to its customers, be it web-based, social media, through reviews, or any other form of online communication.
Details: This award is for businesses employing no more than 10 staff across the business as a whole. The winning garage will show true excellence and professionalism by working to best practices, demonstrating extraordinary customer service, and showing a passion and drive that elevates their business to be among the best independent garages in Britain.
We’re looking for: A garage that has contributed to raising standards in the independent sector by demonstrating a well-managed business with exemplary customer service, best working practices, well-supported staff, and a strong financial structure.
Details: This award recognises a garage that has made the core of its business a specialist discipline, being recognised as experts in the field of their chosen specialism and have equipped, upskilled and clearly marketed themselves as a specialist in this area of business.
We’re looking for: A garage that has recognised its customer base, has set up the facilities accordingly and has clearly shown what their specialism is in all of their literature, signage and communication. They should have invested in the necessary equipment to conduct any work related to the specialism and have staff appropriately qualified to conduct the necessary work. They should be able to show that they have access to the necessary relevant technical information and data to conduct the specialist work.
Details: This award recognises a garage that has gone over and above standards to develop their staff, creating a motivated and evolving workplace that benefits the business, employees, and the future of the industry.
We’re looking for: A business that has demonstrated success in its approach to personal development of staff by investing in its employees through training, company initiatives, or other schemes.
All nominations will undergo an initial desktop verification process from which a shortlist will be drawn up. Shortlisted garages will receive a site visit, mystery shop and/or phone call where relevant, and will be judged against set criteria for their particular category. Finally, the judging panel will decide the winner and highly commended finalist.
- The BIG Awards 2025 are open to all independent garages in the UK, and companies who supply to UK garage businesses where specified.
- You may nominate yourself, your business or another individual or business
- Should you wish to nominate another business or individual, you must have their agreement to do so.
- All nominations must be submitted on the BIG Awards entry forms
- This can be completed online, by email or by post.
- All supporting documentation must be submitted with the entry form, with the name of the nominee and the award category clearly stated as the document name.
- All entries must be received on or before the closing date. Any entries received after the closing date will not be considered.
- Shortlists and winners for each category will be selected by an independent expert judging panel.
- All finalists will be notified no less than 2 calendar months before the awards ceremony to enable them to plan their marketing and attendance to the ceremony.
- All finalists and winners agree to be photographed for promotional purposes.
- The IGA reserve the right to publish press releases, articles, case studies and photographs to carry out publicity activity relating to The BIG Awards
- By submitting a nomination, you agree to be contacted with any follow-up questions regarding your entry.