Milton Keynes #1 for automotive business start-ups

23 February 2022  

Forget concrete cows and roundabouts; Milton Keynes is the best place in the UK to start an automotive business, according to a new study.

After identifying an overall rise in the number of automotive sector start-ups, the research from Yell Business used Google search analysis to show that Buckinghamshire’s iconic new-town represents a greater opportunity for garages to get going from scratch.

Yell Business, using Companies House data, found that 20,424 new automotive sector businesses were started in 2021. 7,257 were companies working in vehicle maintenance and repair, and made up 36%. Another 6,137 were based around the sale of used cars and other light vehicles. In total, sales businesses made up 53% of all companies started in the automotive sector last year.

Yell then analysed Google search demand for specific services versus the actual number of businesses offering this in each area. On this model, Milton Keynes had the highest demand for all classifications compared with any other area.

Business type                Top three locations based on searches per listing
Car wash                       1. Milton Keynes (334.04)

                                     2. Salisbury (262.86)

                                     3. Bath (257.95)

Car rental                      1. Milton Keynes (263.70)

                                      2. Canterbury (220.00)

                                      3. Oxford (178.78)

Garage                           1. Milton Keynes (64.44)

                                      2. Newcastle upon Tyne (61.64)

                                      3. Bournemouth (53.56)

Driving lessons               1. Milton Keynes (84.62)

                                       2. Bath (75.52)

                                       3. Truro (58.89)

Mechanic                         1. Milton Keynes (35.96)

                                       2. Belfast (30.64)

                                       3. Nottingham (15.52)

Commenting on the findings, Yell CEO Claire Miles said: “With the challenges of the last two years, we might expect to find that fewer people were deciding to take the leap into the world of starting and running their own business. However, the data clearly shows that it has potentially inspired more people to take ownership of what they do for a living and finally make the dream of running their own business come true. 

“With the background of the pandemic and numerous economic and supply chain challenges, it’s really encouraging to see that the entrepreneurial spirit of the UK is continuing to grow year on year.”

For more information, visit:
https://business.yell.com/sme-insight/the-entrepreneurial-spirit-of-the-uk