A total of 80 independent garages and franchised dealerships on Shetland Mainland, the Isle of Lewis, the Isle of Bute, the Isle of Man, Anglesey, the Isle of Wight, Jersey and Guernsey have renewed their commitment to abide by The Motor Ombusman’s Codes of Practice.

The businesses can be found on the organisation’s garage finder alongside the thousands from the UK mainland.

To join, garages and dealerships must conform with the best practice guidelines and high standards of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)-approved Service and Repair and/or Vehicle Sales Codes.

Bill Fennell, chief ombudsman and managing director of The Motor Ombudsman, said: “Our vision for 2020 and beyond is for an even greater proportion of vehicle owners and drivers to have a Motor Ombudsman-accredited garage, repairer or dealership in their local area, regardless of whether they live on one of the eight islands or on the mainland. Adhering to a recognised Code of Practice, and being able to offer consumers the peace of mind that they are never too far away from a business that is going the extra mile, is an important differentiator in today’s competitive climate and should not be overlooked.”

Customers in Lerwick on Shetland Mainland have the peace of mind that they have access to businesses that strive for higher standards of work and service than those required by law. Similarly, consumers near to Scotland in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis and Rothesay on the Isle of Bute equally have a choice of car retailers and repairers that are signed up to The Motor Ombudsman.

Moving further south, drivers on Anglesey and on the Isle of Man, the largest islands of the Irish Sea, have the reassurance that they are able to use local car retailers and repairers that operate in accordance with the stringent requirements of being a part of The Motor Ombudsman’s garage network when buying a vehicle or when having it repaired.

The ‘off-shore’ areas with the highest concentration of Motor Ombudsman garages that have renewed for 2020, are on the Isle of Wight, and the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey, with accredited businesses found in four different towns on each of these islands.