Motor Codes, the UK-wide Office of Fair Trading-approved garage scheme, has opened the voting in its annual Garage of the Year competition, calling on car owners to help in making it easy for others to find reliable, trustworthy garages.

Everyone who votes will be entered into a prize draw to win a pair of tickets to the British Touring Car Championship finale at Brands Hatch, with full hospitality provided by Porsche Cars GB as well as a Porsche Driving Day.The competition will champion the best franchised main dealers and independent garages across 10 regions. It is designed to consign the stereotypically poor image of the garage and service industry to the dustbin of history.

Voting closes on 3 March, after which the top 50 franchised and independent garages will be shortlisted. Customers of those garages can then continue voting, to help decide the Motor Codes Garage of the Year.

Reflecting the importance Motor Codes places on customer feedback, it has also joined forces with the Auto Express Driver Power survey, the UK’s biggest car satisfaction study.

Chris Mason, the managing director of Motor Codes, said: “The forward-thinking businesses value feedback and recognise that online reputation is hugely valuable to people searching for a reputable business.

“Garage of the Year uses online feedback to create a record of the good guys and, through voting in this competition, motorists are effectively helping fellow car owners know where to turn for a good garage experience.”

Helping Motor Codes to highlight the UK’s favourite garages is car expert and television presenter, Vicki Butler-Henderson. “As well as being fun, the competition also has a serious side for car owners who can rely on the results for the best places to buy or service their car. And with 7,000 government-backed garages within the Motor Codes network, there’ll be an approved garage very near you,” she said.

The Service and Repair Code helps motorists to identify responsible garages, offers a structured complaints procedure and promotes good customer service. More than 7,000 garages in the UK subscribe to the code and millions of motorists benefit from its protection and standards, in addition to the free advice line and dispute resolution service.