Car DIY capital of Britain revealed

3 November 2022  

Bangor in North Wales has been pegged as Britain’s car DIY capital in research by eBay, with more than 30% of residents having bought car parts last year, followed closely by Barnstaple, North Devon and Boston, Lincolnshire.

Exterior parts and accessories like windscreen wipers, washers, door mirrors, doors, boot lids and hatches were most popular. Coming up closely behind were wheels, tyres and related, followed by interior parts and accessories like floor mats, carpets and boot liners, switches and controls and seat-related items. Bangor also topped the chart for tuning and styling parts and accessories, followed again by Barnstaple, with Alfreton in North Yorkshire taking third place.

An eBay study of 1,919 parts and accessories buyers in the UK this year found 69% were planning to fit them themselves – up 32% since 2015.

Commenting on the figures, Dr Tony Tong, Head of Automotive at eBay UK said: “An increasing number of motorists are looking to do a degree of DIY on their own cars at home, in addition to the car enthusiasts who have always used eBay to seek out rare or unusual parts. The appeal of finding a great value product and the satisfaction of fitting it yourself is clearly prompting a growing number of motorists to roll their sleeves up and carry out basic tasks themselves – and eBay’s marketplace makes it easy to find the right part for your vehicle.”

Britain’s car DIY hotspots
1 Bangor
2 Barnstaple
3 Boston
4 Aldershot
5 Banbury
6 Bridgewater
7 Abingdon
8 Andover
9 Durham
10 Aylesbury