How to become a garage manager or proprietor

Official title: Garage managers and proprietors

Also called: Manager, Garage owner, Branch manager, Garage manager, Garage director, Bodyshop manager, Body shop manager, Tyre depot manager, Production manager, Engineering manager, Motorcycles service manager, Principal dealer

Garage managers and proprietors plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the day-to-day running of garages and specialist vehicle maintenance and repair establishments.

Main tasks

• Determines staffing, financial, material and other short- and long-term requirements
• Ensures that necessary spare parts, materials and equipment are available or obtainable at short notice
• Arranges for maintenance staff to perform necessary maintenance and repair work on vehicles or motorcycles
• Checks completed work for compliance with safety and other statutory regulations
• Maintains records of repair work to detect recurrent faults
• Provides information about garage merchandise for staff and customers
• Ensures the business accounts are maintained

How to become one

There are no pre-set entry requirements, although some employers may require relevant experience and GCSEs/S grades or vocational qualifications such as Automotive NVQs/SVQs at level 3. Off and on-the-job training is provided.

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £44,158 a year
• About 27,300 people work in this job now, and about 31,600 are projected by 2035. (+15.6%)

Related jobs

• Property, housing and estate managers
• Hairdressing and beauty salon managers and proprietors
• Waste disposal and environmental services managers
• Managers and directors in the creative industries
• Betting shop and gambling establishment managers
• Hire services managers and proprietors

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Questions people ask

How do I become a garage manager or proprietor?

There are no pre-set entry requirements, although some employers may require relevant experience and GCSEs/S grades or vocational qualifications such as Automotive NVQs/SVQs at level 3. Off and on-the-job training is provided.

How much does a garage manager or proprietor earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £44,158 a year (Office for National Statistics).

Is a garage manager or proprietor a growing career in the UK?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 16% by 2035, from about 27,300 to about 31,600 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become a garage manager or proprietor?

Usually not. Only 19% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03