Equip the workshop without emptying the account
Ramps, diagnostic gear and a stocked parts shelf swallow cash faster than customer payments arrive. Compare equipment and day-to-day funding with one request, checked softly so your credit file shows nothing.
A bay only earns once it is equipped.
Ramps, lifts, diagnostic platforms, calibration rigs and tyre equipment are the difference between a workshop that can take a job and one that has to turn it away. They are also heavy, one-off outgoings landing against income that builds back up far more slowly.
That is the exact case equipment & asset finance is built for. The cost is spread across the years the tool actually works, the tool itself usually acts as the security, and the parts float you would otherwise have drained stays where it belongs.
Buy the capacity, pay for it as it earnsYou pay the motor factor today. The account pays in sixty.
Till takings from servicing and quick repairs land daily by card. The work that pays best does the opposite: you order and pay for parts before a clutch, cambelt or gearbox job leaves the ramp, then invoice fleet, warranty, trade or accident work on account and wait 30 to 60 days. Bodyshops feel it most, with a car sitting stripped in the bay while a settlement is agreed.
Nothing is wrong with the job or the price. The money is simply somewhere between the bay and the bank account, which is what invoice finance and a business line of credit exist to cover.
Earned already, not yet receivedNo single product covers a garage.
Buying a four-post lift is a different problem from covering a quiet January or floating parts on a fleet contract, which is why most workshops end up using two or three facilities for different jobs rather than forcing one to do everything.
A lift, a rig or an MOT bay
Two and four-post lifts, diagnostic platforms, calibration rigs for driver-assistance systems, tyre changers and air-con kit are heavy one-off outgoings against income that builds back slowly. Equipment & asset finance spreads the cost over the working life of the tool, and the asset itself usually acts as the security, which is why these deals are often the most straightforward a garage arranges.
THE CAPITAL KITFleet, warranty and trade invoices
Account work is invoiced and then settled 30 to 60 days later, with the parts already paid for. Invoice finance releases the cash tied up in those unpaid invoices instead of banking the job and waiting on somebody else’s payment run.
THE ACCOUNT BOOKTopping up the parts shelf
Oil, filters, tyres and consumables all have to sit on the shelf before they earn. A business line of credit is a limit you draw on and repay as needed, which suits stocking up before a busy month better than committing to a full loan you then carry all year.
DRAW AND REPAYWages through a slow patch
Technician and apprentice wages, rent and the motor factor account carry on at the same rate whether the bays are full or not. Working capital is a lump sum for exactly that, or for a refit and an extra bay.
THE FLAT WEEKSRepayments that follow the bays
Where takings are seasonal or hard to predict, a revenue advance is repaid as a small share of daily card takings, so a quiet fortnight repays less and a full workshop repays more.
FLEXES WITH TRADEThe freehold, or a second site
Buying the premises, acquiring another garage or overhauling the whole equipment list is a different order of decision. Business term loan is a fixed sum over a set period, repaid out of the capacity it creates.
THE BIGGER MOVEMatching the product to the need is usually what makes the numbers work, and it is also what gives you a fair basis to compare, since you are weighing like for like. Every option sits with the funding partner and is subject to their approval. You can see each shape beside the rest on the funding types Capvant covers.
One request reaches funding partners who understand how a workshop earns, and comparing what comes back is a soft search that leaves your credit score alone.
Almost always a specific job in the bay.
Owners rarely borrow for the sake of it. Knowing which of these you are in is the fastest route to the right structure, because a funding partner can then answer the decision actually in front of you.
Adding a ramp to clear the booking backlog
The most common reason a garage borrows is to earn more from the space it already has. An extra ramp and the technician to work it turn a waiting list into billable hours.
Bringing tyre and alignment work back in-house
A tyre machine, a wheel balancer and a four-wheel alignment setup stop you subbing out work you were already being asked for, so the margin stays in the building.
Equipping for electric and hybrid vehicles
Insulated tooling, high-voltage training and certification, and the calibration kit for driver-assistance systems are real costs, but they open up work a petrol-only workshop has to refuse.
Stocking parts and tyres before the cold
Batteries, tyres and consumables have to be bought and on the shelf before winter demand arrives, which means spending in the autumn against income that lands later.
Floating a large job on account
A clutch, cambelt or gearbox job is paid for at the motor factor long before the invoice clears, and bodyshop work can sit stripped in the bay while a settlement is agreed.
Demand has a rhythm worth funding around.
A facility arranged in October is a different conversation from one asked for in the middle of a cash squeeze. Setting it up before you need it is what gives you options and a wider range of offers to weigh.
Flexible shapes suit this trade for the same reason. A revolving limit lets you buy winter stock and repay as the season sells through, and takings-linked repayments naturally ease off when the bays are quiet.
- OCTOBER TO FEBRUARY
Winter is the busy season
Cold mornings kill batteries, drivers buy tyres before the frost and breakdowns climb, so stock and cash need to be in place by late autumn rather than bought hand to mouth once demand arrives.
- MARCH AND SEPTEMBER
The plate cycle sets the test waves
Cars first registered in the big March and September plate-change months come due for their first MOT three years on, then every year after, which makes those months predictable rather than a surprise.
- JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
The flat spot after Christmas
Customers have just paid for Christmas and defer anything that is not urgent, so the bays quieten while wages, rent and the account bills carry on at exactly the same rate.
Pick the range the next lift, the winter stock-up or the account book needs, and see which funding partners would support it.
What gets read before an offer comes back.
None of this is a checklist Capvant sets. Capvant is a funding marketplace, not a lender, and the partners price the risk. The better your numbers tell their story, the stronger the offers you will have to compare.
How long, and how steady
Funding partners want to understand whether the workshop generates reliable income, so expect them to look at how long you have traded, monthly card and bank turnover, and how consistent takings are across the year.
The mix of work, not one big contract
A healthy mix of regular MOT and servicing work alongside larger repairs reads well, because it shows income is not riding on a single fleet contract that could end.
On kit, the asset does the work
For equipment finance the item being financed usually acts as the security, so the lift or diagnostic rig carries much of the case, which is why those deals are often the easiest for a garage to get approved.
What speeds it up at your end
Recent filed accounts and bank statements move things along, and bookkeeping that separates parts cost from labour makes your margins obvious at a glance. Smaller facilities often come with a personal guarantee from a director.
When offers come back, weigh the total cost of borrowing and the repayment shape rather than the headline rate alone, since a repayment that flexes with MOT volume can suit a seasonal workshop better than a rigid fixed payment. The full path from first question to funds is set out on how Capvant works.
Frequently asked questions
Can my auto repair and garages business get funding through Capvant?
Yes. Capvant works with funding partners that fund auto repair and garages businesses across the United Kingdom. One request matches you with the partners most likely to say yes.
What funding suits auto repair and garages businesses?
It depends on your goal, common options include equipment & asset finance, working capital, business line of credit, revenue advance, invoice finance. Compare them side by side and pick what fits.
Will checking my options affect my credit score?
No. Seeing your options through Capvant is a soft search, so it leaves no mark on your credit file. A lender only runs a full credit check if you decide to accept an offer.
Is Capvant a lender?
No. Capvant is a funding marketplace, we match you with funding partners and you choose the offer that suits you. Funding decisions, rates and terms are set by the lender, subject to approval.
How fast can I get funded?
Once you accept an offer, many businesses receive funds within a few working days, some products fund same day.
Equip the bays without emptying the account.
One request puts your workshop in front of a network of funding partners. Comparing what comes back costs nothing and leaves your credit score exactly where it is.
No obligation. Checking your offers won’t affect your credit score.
Disclaimers & footnotes
- 1Capvant is a funding marketplace, not a lender. We match business owners with third-party funding partners; we do not make credit decisions, lend money, or set rates or terms. All funding decisions, rates, terms and approvals are made solely by the lenders in our network, subject to their criteria.
- 2Checking your options through Capvant does not affect your credit score. A lender may carry out a soft or hard credit search depending on the product, stage and your consent. A full hard credit check is only carried out where required by a lender before you proceed.
- 3Funding speed, including any reference to funding in as little as 24 hours, is typical for some products and lenders and is not guaranteed. Actual timescales depend on the lender, the product, and how quickly requested information and documents are provided.
- 4Funding amounts and ranges are indicative only and vary with your business profile, trading history, the lender and the market. Figures shown are not an offer of finance and do not guarantee any particular amount, rate or approval.
- 5Any offers, rates or repayment figures shown in illustrations or examples are for demonstration only and are not real quotes. Your actual offers, if any, are provided by lenders and are subject to approval.
- 6Product availability varies by market. Some products are only available in certain countries. Capvant currently serves businesses in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Capvant is not a lender and does not make credit decisions, we introduce businesses to third-party funding providers. Capvant is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Capvant does not compare every lender, broker, funding product or offer available in the market. We only show options from funding partners in our network that may be relevant based on the information you provide.
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Capvant is intended for business-purpose funding only. Eligibility may depend on entity type, location, trading history, revenue, industry and lender criteria. In the UK, Capvant currently focuses on limited companies, LLPs and plcs, and does not currently support sole traders or ordinary partnerships.
Information on Capvant is general information only and is not financial, legal, tax or accounting advice. You should consider whether funding is suitable for your business and seek professional advice where appropriate.
Calculators, eligibility checkers and funding-readiness tools are estimates only. They are based on limited information and assumptions, and do not represent a credit decision, quote, approval or recommendation.
Company information may be sourced from public registers such as Companies House, or from information you provide. Public register data may be incomplete, delayed or inaccurate and should not be treated as a full credit assessment.
The Business Credit Score by Capvant is an independent statistical assessment based on public register data. It is not provided by a credit reference agency and may differ from scores used by individual lenders.
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