Best areas to open car showroom in South East
60 South East local authorities ranked by the Gera Business Location Score — real rent, wages, rates and market density.
Where is the best place to open a car showroom in South East?
In South East, the best area to open a car showroom is Wealden, with a Gera Business Location Score of 85.3/100: premises at £123/m²/yr and local median pay £27,639. Oxford ranks lowest of 60 South East authorities at 51.3/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
South East ranked for car showroom
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wealden | 85.3/100 | £123 | £27,639 | £5,314 |
| 2 | Chichester | 82.9/100 | £140 | £28,547 | £6,048 |
| 3 | Rother | 80.9/100 | £145 | £27,732 | £6,264 |
| 4 | East Hampshire | 80.6/100 | £123 | £30,143 | £5,314 |
| 5 | New Forest | 80/100 | £132 | £30,071 | £5,702 |
| 6 | Test Valley | 79.2/100 | £112 | £33,566 | £4,838 |
| 7 | Horsham | 78.9/100 | £140 | £32,334 | £6,048 |
| 8 | Sevenoaks | 78.8/100 | £141 | £28,537 | £6,091 |
| 9 | Isle of Wight | 77.9/100 | £61 | £26,185 | £2,635 |
| 10 | Cherwell | 77.8/100 | £158 | £33,207 | £6,826 |
| 11 | Hart | 76.7/100 | £140 | £30,973 | £6,048 |
| 12 | West Berkshire | 75.9/100 | £151 | £35,806 | £6,523 |
| 13 | West Oxfordshire | 75.6/100 | £112 | £34,006 | £4,838 |
| 14 | Arun | 75.4/100 | £153 | £27,461 | £6,610 |
| 15 | Buckinghamshire | 75.1/100 | £142 | £33,367 | £6,134 |
| 16 | Swale | 75.1/100 | £120 | £29,831 | £5,184 |
| 17 | Tunbridge Wells | 75.1/100 | £139 | £30,296 | £6,005 |
| 18 | Surrey Heath | 74.9/100 | £123 | £36,632 | £5,314 |
| 19 | Maidstone | 74/100 | £144 | £31,986 | £6,221 |
| 20 | Spelthorne | 73.9/100 | £153 | £32,237 | £6,610 |
| 21 | Ashford | 73.6/100 | £172 | £29,118 | £7,430 |
| 22 | Tonbridge and Malling | 73.2/100 | £149 | £31,472 | £6,437 |
| 23 | Runnymede | 73/100 | £143 | £40,000 | £6,178 |
| 24 | Fareham | 72.4/100 | £150 | £32,895 | £6,480 |
| 25 | Dover | 72.4/100 | £117 | £31,547 | £5,054 |
| 26 | Waverley | 72.4/100 | £127 | £31,083 | £5,486 |
| 27 | Winchester | 72.1/100 | £129 | £34,568 | £5,573 |
| 28 | Eastbourne | 71.7/100 | £141 | £26,893 | £6,091 |
| 29 | South Oxfordshire | 71.4/100 | £107 | £36,315 | £4,622 |
| 30 | Lewes | 71.1/100 | £130 | £32,287 | £5,616 |
| 31 | Mole Valley | 71/100 | £132 | £39,893 | £5,702 |
| 32 | Dartford | 70/100 | £149 | £32,428 | £6,437 |
| 33 | Slough | 69.8/100 | £154 | £38,578 | £6,653 |
| 34 | Rushmoor | 69.8/100 | £141 | £34,238 | £6,091 |
| 35 | Mid Sussex | 69.7/100 | £134 | £31,401 | £5,789 |
| 36 | Canterbury | 69.4/100 | £148 | £29,337 | £6,394 |
| 37 | Eastleigh | 69.2/100 | £138 | £35,362 | £5,962 |
| 38 | Thanet | 69.2/100 | £114 | £27,076 | £4,925 |
| 39 | Havant | 68.8/100 | £142 | £30,573 | £6,134 |
| 40 | Gravesham | 68.3/100 | £136 | £34,455 | £5,875 |
| 41 | Medway | 67.9/100 | £147 | £30,784 | £6,350 |
| 42 | Windsor and Maidenhead | 67.8/100 | £157 | £34,570 | £6,782 |
| 43 | Milton Keynes | 67.4/100 | £140 | £36,521 | £6,048 |
| 44 | Guildford | 67.2/100 | £140 | £38,027 | £6,048 |
| 45 | Wokingham | 66.3/100 | £134 | £38,552 | £5,789 |
| 46 | Woking | 66/100 | £137 | £35,258 | £5,918 |
| 47 | Hastings | 65.6/100 | £172 | £29,383 | £7,430 |
| 48 | Portsmouth | 65.5/100 | £143 | £33,015 | £6,178 |
| 49 | Basingstoke and Deane | 65.1/100 | £133 | £35,492 | £5,746 |
| 50 | Southampton | 64.7/100 | £124 | £33,878 | £5,357 |
| 51 | Bracknell Forest | 64.5/100 | £145 | £37,063 | £6,264 |
| 52 | Vale of White Horse | 64.3/100 | £152 | £38,134 | £6,566 |
| 53 | Worthing | 63.8/100 | £141 | £29,044 | £6,091 |
| 54 | Crawley | 63.7/100 | £160 | £36,053 | £6,912 |
| 55 | Elmbridge | 63.1/100 | £183 | £30,000 | £7,906 |
| 56 | Epsom and Ewell | 62/100 | £168 | £33,824 | £7,258 |
| 57 | Reigate and Banstead | 61.8/100 | £147 | £39,073 | £6,350 |
| 58 | Reading | 58.1/100 | £161 | £44,956 | £6,955 |
| 59 | Brighton and Hove | 55.6/100 | £162 | £33,649 | £6,998 |
| 60 | Oxford | 51.3/100 | £148 | £38,779 | £6,394 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for car showroom premises in South East?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in South East is £61/m²/yr in Isle of Wight. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Wealden ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for car showroom in Wealden?
- For a 100 m² unit in Wealden, business rates are roughly £5,314/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £12,300/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a car showroom in South East?
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Contains public sector information published by Valuation Office Agency and Office for National Statistics and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: VOA Business Floorspace + ONS Business Counts + ONS ASHE (work geography) + ONS population estimates (2025 (VOA 31 March 2025; ASHE 2025 provisional; Business Counts 2025; population mid-2024), published December 2025).