There are many different kinds of franchises out there. From pet franchises, to cleaning and food franchises. But one example which cannot be missed are automotive franchises. Vehicle franchises. Anything related to the world of motoring. But, why are automotive related franchises a good opportunity for those looking to get into business for themselves?
How Important are Automotive Franchises?
According to the RAC Foundation, over 77% of households in the UK own at least one car. But let’s step back and take a look at the need for automotive related businesses. Many franchises will depend on vehicles for their daily routines. Coming back to those sectors I mentioned above…
- Pet Franchises and pet businesses – a car or van is usually required to collect/drop off pets for pet sitting, or taking dogs out for walks
- Cleaning Franchises – a vehicle will usually be required by the franchise owner or their staff, to carry out cleans
- Food Franchises – courier and van based logistics are the back bone of food delivery
With almost every sector, it’s easy to overlook just how important, and just how much demand there is for automotive related businesses.
So let’s take a look at the 10 top types of automotive franchises…
1. Garage and Automotive Repair Franchises
MOTs are a legal requirement in the UK. With each MOT, most car owners will opt for a service as well, something which all vehicles need to stay in optimum condition. It should be bright as headlights on a dark night, just how important garage businesses are. One of the reasons these are top franchises is because they have multiple revenue streams, such as:
- Car servicing and MOTs
- Vehicle repairs including storefront and mobile operations (such as mobile tyre fitting)
- Aftermarket product services like ECU tuning
2. Mobile Tyre Fitting
Leading on from bullet point two of the above, there is strong demand for services such as mobile tyre fitting. Without doubt, every motorist at some point in their life will wake up or come back from shopping, to find one of their tyres punctured. It’s an inconvenience but there is excellent potential from mobile tyre related franchises. Again there is also the opportunity for other revenue streams, eg through alloy wheel repair franchises too.
3. Windscreen Repair Franchises
One of the most popular types of automotive franchises are Windscreen Repair businesses. Varying by franchise, these may be on a B2B or B2C basis (or both). With the latter, these are likely to be one-off repairs, but with B2B businesses these will usually be booked by repeat clients. Chips often happen to windscreens, sometimes even cracks, and most people tend to avoid claiming it on their insurance at the risk of bumping up their renewal premium. Which is why there is strong demand for windscreen repairs.
4. Repair and Rescue Franchises
Similarly to mobile tyre repair and alloy wheel repair, many garage and auto repair businesses can be operated on a van based basis. It’s easy to overlook that for some, the concept of dropping off and picking up a car from the garage can be a time consuming concept. Maybe it doesn’t fit around the school run, or maybe you won’t get the car back the same day. There are franchises out their which offer mobile vehicle repairs and MOTs.
5. Car Valeting Franchises
Car valeting and car wash franchises have taken off really well in recent years. Nearly all major supermarkets employ a wash-while-you-shop system in partnership with a car washing franchise, and it’s a great concept. And car valeting is no exception. Car washing and car valeting franchises won’t necessarily require a premises, as many franchises offer mobile car valeting services. From a basic wash up to a full clean inside and out, car valeting automotive franchises are very much in demand.
6. Community Transport Franchises
Number 6 of what we consider to be the 10 best automotive franchises, would be community transport businesses. This might involve taxiing the elderly around for a day out (for example, Driving Miss Daisy), if you love meeting people and have a passion for providing a high level of service, community transport automotive franchises would be right up your street.
7. Courier Franchises
Demand for courier services has risen considerably over recent years, and so have the demand for courier franchises. Even big name logistics brands are taking on franchisees and partners through various business opportunities, and courier franchises are usually run on a management type system. Maybe you’ll be taking bookings working from home whilst your team of courier drivers carry out the deliveries. Courier and logistics franchises offer fantastic work life flexibility.
8. Vehicle Retailing Franchises
With a vehicle retailing franchise, you’ll be at the top of people’s lists when it comes to buying a car. Many people will prefer to buy a car second hand, as it is usually a cheaper option and can offer some great deals when it comes to part exchanging. Some vehicle retail opportunities might employ an additional revenue stream through vehicle hire and leasing. Whether this is on a B2B or B2C basis, car retailing franchises offer the potential for fantastic income, whether run on a part time, full time or management franchise basis.
9. Electric Vehicle Charging Franchises
Ask anyone why they haven’t yet upgraded from petrol or diesel to an electric car, and you’ll be sure to hear that one of the set backs is the lack of charging points away from home. But although this is changing, and more and more garage forecourts are introducing electric charging points, as the move from ICE to electric cars increases, so will the need for electric charging points. There are numerous franchises out there which specialise in distribution and maintenance of electric vehicle charging points. This is a fantastic type of automotive franchise because it will continue to be in steady, growing demand.
10. Scratch Repair and Dent Removal
Dent removal and scratch repair franchises will usually either be operated from a premises, or as a van based business. The latter likely being a cheaper option, dents and scratches often lower the value of a car and are fantastic revenue opportunities regardless of which business model you choose, making them great automotive franchises.
Interested in working with cars and vans? Browse our list of automotive franchises today and take the next step in your career by owning your own business.
Automotive Franchise FAQ
After petrol and diesel vehicles are phased out, electric vehicles take their place and automotive franchises will still be in demand. Charging point franchises are taking off big time and even petrol station franchises are establishing themselves across the UK to solely serve the E-vehicle market. There is big money in automotive franchising, and big money to come.
It depends on the type of franchise you’re investing in and if you already have a premises. For example if you already own a hand car wash business, license for franchising can cost less than £15,000. However for a van based vehicle repair franchise you’ll be looking at around £40,000 total investment.
B2B and commercial fleet related franchises are usually top earners for franchisees. The likes of commercial windscreen repair and mobile tyre franchises are amongst the most profitable UK franchises.
