The finalists are in. Top Awards 2026 contenders revealed

12 October 2026

The finalists for the 2026 Top Awards have been announced, with some of the UK’s best technicians, apprentices and independent garage businesses now preparing for the finals in Warwick next month.

After months of competition, the finalists have now been confirmed across Top Technician, Top Apprentice, Top Garage, Mobile Mechanic, Top Service Advisor and the Ben Automotive Health & Wellbeing Award.

They will come together at Delphi Academy, Warwick, on Saturday 14 November, where the last challenges, interviews and assessments will decide who takes home the 2026 titles.

Ryan Fuller, Managing Director at the Top Awards, said: “Congratulations to everyone who has made it through to the finals. Getting this far is a real achievement and reflects the amount of work our entrants have put into the competition.

“We’ve got some really strong finalists this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing them all at Delphi Academy in November. There’s a lot happening on the day beyond the competition too, so we hope plenty of people from across the industry will come along and see what it’s all about.”

Top Technician

Top Technician puts entrants’ diagnostic knowledge and practical fault-finding abilities to the test, with competitors progressing through online assessments before taking on hands-on challenges.

Following the semi-finals, five technicians remain in the running for the 2026 title. At Delphi Academy, they will face a final series of live diagnostic challenges.

The Top Technician finalists are:

John Fountain – N&E Motors
Brian Franklin – Franklin’s Autos
John Hall – John Hall Auto Electrician
Bryan Swales – Bryan Swales Auto Repairs
Kristopher Williams – Fords of Winsford

Top Apprentice

Top Apprentice gives Level 2 and Level 3 apprentices the chance to put their developing technical knowledge, practical ability and problem-solving skills to the test.

Five finalists will head to Delphi Academy, where they will tackle a series of practical and knowledge-based challenges to decide who will be named Top Apprentice 2026.

Competing for the title will be:

Katie Bowes – Vertu Kia Nottingham
Zephaniah Edwards – Markhams Garage
Jacob Knight – SF Tebby & Son
Callum Maguire – Pro-tech Automotive
Kieran Vaughan – Euro Performance

Top Garage

Top Garage focuses on the independent workshops themselves, assessing how entrants run and develop their businesses.

Categories are divided by business size, allowing garages to compete against businesses of a similar scale. Having made it through the earlier stages of the competition, the finalists will face the judges at Delphi Academy as they make their case for a Top Garage title.

1–3 employees

Alga Garage
AMS Diagnostics
Autoremedy
CHM Autos
DB Car Doctor
Gilbert Motor Services
MMS Technik
Mouths Motor Company
Repayr My Car
The Garage Warmington

4–6 employees

API Motors
Greenfield Garage
Fine Drive Autocentres
Intelligent Auto
JA Services (Ripon)
JGG Automotive
Maitland Motors
Meadowfield Auto Centre
Service MOT Repairs
WJH Auto

7–9 employees

Aldershot MOT Centre
Bryan Swales Auto Repairs
MB MOTORS Rugeley
Specialist Vehicles
Vicarius Automotive
William Street Motor Services

10+ employees

Athersmith Motor Services
Cleevely Motors
Elite Autocare
Magnet Autos
Monmouth MOT Centre
Ramsey Hill Garage
SF Tebby & Son
Stedmans Garage
Uckfield Motor Services
West End Garage Nairn

Multi-site

EAC Telford
IN’n’OUT Autocentres
K Brown Auto Repairs
LM Motor Clinic
Shaw’s Service Station
VMB Autocentre

Mobile Mechanic

The Mobile Mechanic category is for technicians who have taken their skills out on the road and built a business around them.

As well as technical ability, the award considers the demands of running a professional mobile operation, from delivering repairs and diagnostics on the road to looking after customers and managing the business.

This year’s finalists are:

AM Nicholson
BAR Motorworx
Beresfords Mobile Mechanics
Cleevely EV Mobile
DMR Automotive Solutions
Ell’s Auto Care
MLH Vehicle Repair
The Mobile Mechanic
The Norfolk Tech / JLK Vehicle Solutions

Top Service Advisor

The Top Service Advisor Award puts the spotlight on the people dealing directly with customers and helping to keep a busy workshop organised.

The category looks at communication, organisation, customer care and problem-solving, and the contribution service advisors make to the wider garage business.

The Top Service Advisor finalists are:

Kalvin Matharu – Monmouth MOT Centre
Mike Chubb – Sumner Auto Electrics
Zubair Iqbal – Fife Autotech
Kevin Shilling – D&D Autos Ashford
Graham Clark – Anderson Clark Motor Repairs
Luke Collier – Shaw’s Service Station
Danielle Cott – Shaw’s Service Station
Oliver Kolsteren – D&D Autos
Bradley Turner – Uckfield Motor Services
Magdalena Puszek – Fine Drive Autocentres

Ben Automotive Health & Wellbeing Award

The Ben Automotive Health & Wellbeing Award focuses on what garages are doing to look after their teams.

Using Ben’s Health & Wellbeing Assessment Framework, the category considers workplace culture, leadership and the practical measures businesses have in place to support the physical and mental wellbeing of their employees.

In contention for the award are:

Aldershot MOT Centre
Ayrshire MOT
Garage Warmington
JGG Automotive
K Brown Auto Repairs
Maitland Motors
West End Garage
WJH Auto

Countdown to the finals

The finalists will come together at Delphi Academy, Warwick, on Saturday 14 November for the final day of competition.

And it won’t just be competitors who can get involved. The finals will be open to visitors from across the automotive aftermarket, providing the chance to see the competition in action, meet the sponsors supporting the Top Awards and get a closer look at some of the equipment and technology they will be bringing along.

For technicians or garages considering entering the Top Awards in the future, it is also an opportunity to see first-hand what the competition involves and what it takes to reach the final.

The day will conclude with the Top Awards gala dinner and awards ceremony at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Coventry, where the 2026 winners will be announced.

For now, congratulations to all of this year’s finalists. Next stop: Warwick.

Click here to find out how you can attend the daytime competition and the evening gala dinner