Best areas to open car showroom in South West
24 South West 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 West?
In South West, the best area to open a car showroom is Mid Devon, with a Gera Business Location Score of 91/100: premises at £65/m²/yr and local median pay £29,224. Bristol, City of ranks lowest of 24 South West authorities at 65.2/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
South West ranked for car showroom
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mid Devon | 91/100 | £65 | £29,224 | £2,808 |
| 2 | North Devon | 91/100 | £64 | £27,526 | £2,765 |
| 3 | Forest of Dean | 90/100 | £70 | £25,387 | £3,024 |
| 4 | Teignbridge | 89.5/100 | £80 | £28,636 | £3,456 |
| 5 | East Devon | 84.8/100 | £59 | £31,874 | £2,549 |
| 6 | Cornwall | 83.7/100 | £70 | £27,006 | £3,024 |
| 7 | Somerset | 83.7/100 | £98 | £29,152 | £4,234 |
| 8 | Dorset | 83.5/100 | £90 | £29,292 | £3,888 |
| 9 | South Hams | 82.5/100 | £80 | £28,329 | £3,456 |
| 10 | Cotswold | 82/100 | £98 | £29,655 | £4,234 |
| 11 | North Somerset | 79.9/100 | £103 | £28,749 | £4,450 |
| 12 | Stroud | 78.8/100 | £67 | £32,495 | £2,894 |
| 13 | Wiltshire | 78/100 | £102 | £30,000 | £4,406 |
| 14 | Torbay | 75.1/100 | £79 | £28,066 | £3,413 |
| 15 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 74.5/100 | £116 | £31,121 | £5,011 |
| 16 | Gloucester | 73.8/100 | £95 | £30,796 | £4,104 |
| 17 | Exeter | 73.3/100 | £110 | £30,138 | £4,752 |
| 18 | Tewkesbury | 71.7/100 | £126 | £37,088 | £5,443 |
| 19 | Swindon | 71.2/100 | £128 | £32,933 | £5,530 |
| 20 | Plymouth | 70.7/100 | £84 | £30,346 | £3,629 |
| 21 | Bath and North East Somerset | 69.5/100 | £100 | £32,004 | £4,320 |
| 22 | Cheltenham | 69.1/100 | £111 | £35,202 | £4,795 |
| 23 | South Gloucestershire | 67.6/100 | £154 | £36,920 | £6,653 |
| 24 | Bristol, City of | 65.2/100 | £94 | £36,652 | £4,061 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for car showroom premises in South West?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in South West is £59/m²/yr in East Devon. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, Mid Devon ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for car showroom in Mid Devon?
- For a 100 m² unit in Mid Devon, business rates are roughly £2,808/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £6,500/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a car showroom in South West?
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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).