What Good Garage Scheme does

Good Garage Scheme, founded in 2006 and operated by Forté Lubricants (a division of ITW Limited), is a UK two-sided marketplace that connects motorists with a vetted network of independent automotive garages. The platform enables drivers to locate nearby member garages by entering their postcode, compare services, and submit booking requests directly to the workshop — the scheme takes no commission on the underlying service transaction. Member garages commit to a published Code of Conduct, undergo regular mystery-shopper-style audits, and are required to use Forté specialist cleaning and treatment products during services; non-compliant garages are removed (over 900 have been removed since launch).

The underlying technology is a conventional web platform with postcode-based search, online booking request forms, a moderated customer feedback and rating system, and a free SMS/email vehicle reminder service. There is no public API, no mobile application, and no disclosed AI/ML capability. The scheme has accumulated 1,016,549 published reviews and member garages currently perform over 67,000 services per month with more than 6,000 new customer feedbacks collected monthly.

The business model is fundamentally B2B-to-SMB with a B2C front door. Motorists use the platform free of charge (freemium), while revenue is generated from two streams: (1) annual subscription membership fees paid by independent garages for inclusion in the network, access to national marketing, booking requests, and the feedback system, and (2) Forté product sales to those same member garages — creating a captive demand channel for the parent company's lubricants and cleaning products. The scheme holds a Community registered trade mark held by Illinois Tool Works Inc. and serves the UK only.

Name

Good Garage Scheme

Legal name

Forté Lubricants (a division of ITW Limited)

Website

https://goodgaragescheme.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Good Garage Scheme is a UK two-sided marketplace, operated by Forté Lubricants (a division of ITW Limited), that connects motorists with a vetted network of independent garages through a postcode-based search and review platform, monetised via annual garage membership subscriptions and Forté product sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Coventry

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Garage membership fees: Independent garages pay membership fees to join the Good Garage Scheme and gain access to the national brand, marketing campaigns, customer booking requests, and online feedback system.
2. Forté Lubricants products: All member garages use Forté specialist cleaning and treatment products during every service. Forté is a division of ITW Limited and is the parent company operating the Good Garage Scheme.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Good Garage Scheme operates a UK-wide network that connects motorists with vetted independent garages via a postcode-based online discovery platform, customer review system, and free vehicle reminder service. Member garages pay fees to access national brand marketing, advertising campaigns, online booking requests, and the feedback system, and they adhere to a Code of Conduct, Industry Standard Service Checklist, and 21-point seasonal check standards while using Forté specialist cleaning products during services.

Product overview

The Good Garage Scheme is a single, unified network platform that connects UK motorists with vetted independent garages. The core offering consists of the garage discovery and review platform (garage search, customer feedback system, online booking requests, and vehicle reminder service), complemented by a garage membership programme that provides marketing support and operational tools to member workshops. All member garages adhere to the Industry Standard Service Checklist and are required to use Forté specialist cleaning products and treatment solutions during services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Good Garage Scheme Network A UK-wide network of vetted independent garages committed to quality maintenance, transparency, and customer care, enabling motorists to find trustworthy local garages for servicing, repairs, and MOT testing.
• Garage Search & Discovery

Quantifiable outcome

• Member garages carry out over 67,000 services per month
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CEDR (Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution)minorOthersCEDR provides Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services for consumers who have complaints about Good Garage Scheme member garages that cannot be resolved directly with the garage within a two-week response period.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WhoCanFixMyCar: UK online marketplace where motorists post repair jobs and garages bid; directly competes with GGS for the same consumer-to-indie-garage booking flow, but takes a marketplace cut versus GGS's free lead-gen model.
• Motor Codes: UK regulatory-backed scheme (government-recognised), providing a register of trusted garages under codes of practice; competes with GGS as another quality-assurance franchise targeting independent UK workshops.
• BookMyGarage: UK garage comparison and booking platform; competes head-to-head with GGS's postcode-based search and verified review proposition for MOT and service bookings.
• RAC Approved Garages: RAC's own network of vetted independent UK garages with a Code of Conduct and public reviews — same franchise/network model as Good Garage Scheme but leveraging RAC's roadside-assistance brand.
• FixMyCar: UK price-comparison site for car servicing, MOT and repairs; mirrors GGS's discovery and trust-rating model with a direct booking channel to partner garages.
• AA Certified Garages: AA's approved/repaired garage network offering motorists vetted workshops with a brand-backed guarantee; competes with GGS for the same trust-and-discovery value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Kwik Fit: Largest UK fast-fit chain (tyres, exhausts, MOT, servicing); competes for the same motorists GGS funnels to independents, drawing volume away from member garages and compressing their margins.
• Halfords Autocentres: National UK chain of MOT, servicing and repair centres; competing direct service provision at scale that pulls motorists out of the independent-garage pool GGS depends on.

Emerging players

• ClickMechanic: UK marketplace booking mobile mechanics and independent garages online; overlapping but smaller marketplace that uses transparent pricing, useful as a comparable transactional-model peer.

Others

• Forté Lubricants: Parent division of ITW Limited and the operating entity behind Good Garage Scheme; included because it powers GGS's product pull-through model and is structurally inseparable from it.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/theGoodGarageScheme
• Facebookfacebook.com/GoodGarageScheme
• Xx.com/GoodGarages

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Good Garage Scheme