BookMyGarage is celebrating the first anniversary of its profit-boosting Accelerate package, which generated more than £46 million of retail custom for its independent garage partners who have signed up to the package.
The servicing and MOT price comparison and booking website launched Accelerate in February last year to propel garages which excel on its platform to the top of online searches in their localities. A staggering 172,846 retail customers have booked services and MOTs with independent garages on the Accelerate programme since its launch.
In the first two months of 2025 alone, Accelerate garages secured £9.7 million worth of the platform’s £15.4 million retail business accounting for 63% of all bookings.
Winchester-based Williams Garage has partnered BookMyGarage for almost eight years with 952 customers booked via the platform. Almost all customers (94%) attended and have left 524 reviews with a score of 4.8 out of 5 whilst the final invoice value for work completed was an average of £337. CEO Peter Whieldon said: “Our business has grown extensively in that time and we put a significant proportion of that down to our partnership with BookMyGarage. Since signing up to Accelerate, we’re now seeing around 30 new customers per month, a three-fold growth.”
Owner of Smile Servicing & Repairs in Portsmouth, Nick Dray, said: “Having been with BookMyGarage since the start we’re delighted with the upward journey we have experienced. We now see an average of 87 additional bookings per month via the platform itself since going live with Accelerate. Once we receive those customers, they’re ours so we can market to them directly.” Increased bookings are driven by highly targeted online marketing campaigns and an optional online booking functionality, which is embedded into garage websites. Managed by BookMyGarage, bookings via the online tool on the garage’s own website are not charged.
Fully funded Google ads, Bing ads and social media campaigns are managed and continuously optimised by BookMyGarage’s in-house expert team and in the same way as regular bookings, Accelerate members are only charged for customers who attend after their appointment.
Garage partners retain complete control over their availability, lead times and pricing with BookMyGarage’s no-risk, pay-on-success model. Eligible garages can upgrade from Standard Accelerate to Silver, Gold or Top Tier where they are boosted up the search results within their area. Tier eligibility is based on such factors as high-quality service and positive reviews.
Since launch, Top Tier Accelerate garages have seen a 1,231% return on their investment and have benefited from a 30% uplift in bookings compared to other garages on the platform. A minimum of 60 bookings per year are guaranteed as part of the Accelerate programme although members currently enjoy on average 16 bookings a month.
BookMyGarage CMO Jessica Potts said: “We launched Accelerate to reflect online behaviour as consumers embraced digital tools and channels. Many of our garage partners don’t have the time or the specialist knowledge to produce targeted and compelling online marketing campaigns whilst a marketing agency can be too expensive. The market was crying out for a solution that allowed garages to grow their customer base from digital channels with a financially risk-free model. Accelerate garages enjoy uncapped growth (restricted only by their lead times) and can scale up or down accordingly.”
