The Motor Ombudsman tells us:
(All words and photographs from The Motor Ombudsman).
• Napoleon Garage in Bradford, Yorkshire, has won this year’s National Star Award trophy
• The independent garage, which is celebrating its centenary, beat seven other Regional Star
Award winners to the top title – the highest accolade of The Motor Ombudsman contest
• The annual Star Awards competition invites customers to shine the spotlight on Motor
Ombudsman-accredited businesses and individual team members who have gone above and
beyond the call of duty when assisting them
• The National Star Award trophy will be formally presented at next week’s Hero Awards at the
Houses of Parliament in the heart of London, as part of a continued partnership with the
ceremony hosted by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)
London, 25 November 2025
The Motor Ombudsman is pleased to announce that Napoleon Garage in
Bradford, Yorkshire, is the winner of the National Star Award for 2025. The prestigious accolade, which
has been bestowed to the business as it celebrates its centenary in the Yorkshire city, is the top prize in
the Ombudsman’s annual Star Awards competition – a contest which allows motorists to recognise Motor
Ombudsman-accredited businesses and individual team members across the country who have gone
beyond the call of duty when assisting them.
To find this year’s Regional Star Award winners and finalists, and the name to be etched on to the highly
sought after national trophy, customers were invited to submit online nominations for independent garages
and franchise dealerships, detailing how they excelled in the motorists’ time of need, and where gestures
of kindness, generosity and altruism made the all-important difference.
These entries were then whittled down by The Motor Ombudsman based on the written explanations from
consumers to create a shortlist of 24 finalists across eight regions spanning the UK, stretching from the
Cornwall coastline to the Shetland Isles. They were then passed to a judging panel comprising motor
industry and consumer experts to reach a joint consensus on this year’s winners, and those submissions
that were deemed the two worthy finalists in each category.
In what was a closely fought contest, five independent garages and three franchise dealerships claimed
victory in this year’s Regional Star Awards. Despite facing stiff competition from last year’s National winner
AJ Fleetcare in Leeds, and a technician at a Cheshire car dealership – who had also received glowing
testimonials, Napoleon Garage was chosen by judges as this year’s trophy holder for the North.
The independent garage was commended for venturing out of hours on a cold and dark Sunday night
after receiving a call from a customer’s sister to help their shivering parents suffering from ill health, and
the nominee’s anxious daughter, after their vehicle had broken down on the side of a busy road, and
where the breakdown service was unable to assist them that evening. Without hesitation, the team at
Napoleon Garage went to rescue them, taking the family safely back home, and the car to their premises,
getting it back on the road within just 48 hours.
The latest Regional Star Award recipients also saw two garages become the most successful ever
regional winners since the Star Awards competition made its debut in 2020. The first – Garej Arwyn Cyf,
an independent garage near to Anglesey, claimed their third consecutive trophy for Wales.
Meanwhile, Courtwood Car Services in Middlesex also scored back-to-back wins for the southern region, making it a hat-trick of victories to date.
To determine the name that would grace this year’s National Star Award, which will be presented next
week at the Houses of Parliament in London, thanks to an ongoing partnership with the Chartered Trading
Standards Institute (CTSI)’s Hero Awards, Napoleon Garage, alongside the seven other regional trophy
holders, were then brought together once again for the final evaluation of the session. With each of the
winning entries considered on their own merits, it was the nomination for the long-established Bradford
business that once again shined the brightest, and saw them named this year’s recipient of the prestigious
trophy and £2,000 in high street vouchers.
Azhar Mahmood, Director of Napoleon Garage, said: “We were highly commended in last year’s Star
Awards contest, so to go one better and win both our region and the national prize, is a true honour. We
were blown away when we found out that we had won, and to celebrate such a special anniversary with a
top motor industry award is the icing on a cake, and adds another important moment to our history.”
Azhar added: “We would like to thank all customers who nominated us this year, and we value their
continued support and loyalty, which ultimately has allowed us to thrive and grow. We will be celebrating
this incredible achievement as a team, and proudly showing off our trophies to everyone that walks
through the door.”
Bill Fennell, Chief Ombudsman and Managing Director of The Motor Ombudsman, said: “The calibre of
entries in this year’s competition was extremely high, with so many great examples of accredited
businesses and individual staff members going the extra mile to do whatever is needed to help, thanks to
their proactive approach.”
Bill added: “Napoleon Garage embodies what our Star Awards ultimately recognise – going far beyond
what would ordinarily be expected in the working day, and choosing to use their own time out of hours to
help someone else that found themselves in a very challenging situation – both mentally and physically. It
was a unanimous decision amongst the judging panel that Azhar Mahmood and his team should be on the
top step this year, and it is an honour presenting the trophy to Napoleon Garage in the very special
surroundings of the Houses of Parliament.”
Neil Barlow, Head of Vehicle Policy and Engineering at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)
– a judge for the 2025 Star Awards, said: “I would like to thank The Motor Ombudsman for involving us for
a third consecutive year on the judging panel for their Star Awards.
It’s encouraging to see that standards were very high across all entries this year and I’d like to
congratulate the team at Napoleon Garage on their success. They should be very proud of their
achievement.
This award really demonstrates the excellent standards of service that exist in the industry and sets a
great example to others on how to build and maintain strong customer relationships.”
For more information on The Motor Ombudsman’s Star Awards, visit
www.TheMotorOmbudsman.org/Awards.
2025 Regional Star Award winners and finalists
The businesses and individuals crowned Regional Star Award winners in 2025, and those which are finalists are:
NORTH: Napoleon Garage (BD4) Ltd. (Bradford, Yorkshire), for coming to the rescue of a family stranded at the
roadside after their vehicle broke down on a Sunday evening, and for quickly turning around the repairs to keep
inconvenience to a minimum.
Finalists: AJ Fleetcare (Leeds, Yorkshire) and Jake Watson at Eastham Motors (Birkenhead, Cheshire)
SOUTH: Courtwood Car Services (Uxbridge, Middlesex), for quickly diagnosing an issue and repairing a vehicle
to allow the owner to get away on holiday without delay.
Finalists: Brayley Suzuki Hendon (London), and Concept Motors (Purfleet, Essex)
EAST: Wings of Peterborough Ltd. (Cambridgeshire), for working out-of-hours to hand over a car to a customer
who was pressured for time, and for the highly personable approach.
Finalists: Holden Honda Norwich (Norfolk) and John Banks Honda Ipswich (Suffolk)
WEST: CM Motors (Porkellis, Cornwall), for diagnosing and fixing complex issues with a customer’s vehicle, and
proactively collecting and returning it to the home of the customer who was suffering from ill health.
Finalists: Aaron Pryor at AP Auto Repairs (Helston, Cornwall), and Heritage of Volkswagen Salisbury (Wiltshire)
THE MIDLANDS: RT Motors (Retford) Ltd. (Nottinghamshire), for a very approachable service, and going to a
customer’s home out of hours on a Sunday to jump-start their vehicle.
Finalists: Car Friend (Staffordshire) and Carl Jenney at Nunns Mazda (Grimsby, Lincolnshire)
NORTHERN IRELAND: Roadside (Garages) Ltd. (Coleraine, County Londonderry) for quickly sourcing a new
vehicle for a customer at a time of personal loss, after repairs to their existing vehicle proved prohibitive.
Finalists: Donnelly Honda Belfast (Newtonabbey, County Antrim), and Shelborne Motors Group (Newry, County
Down / County Armagh)
SCOTLAND: W Livingstone Ltd. (Glasgow, Lanarkshire), for going out of their way to collect and return a
vehicle for an MOT whilst the customer was recovering from surgery.
Finalists: Anderson Clark Motor Repairs (Inverness, Inverness-shire) and Western Honda (Edinburgh, Lothian)
WALES: Garej Arwyn Cyf (Penygroes, Gwynedd), for undertaking an immediate repair on a customer’s car with
no prior notice, despite having a very busy workload on the day that they visited.
Finalists: Ashley Ioannides at Griffin Mill Garages (Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf) and Torrin-Dean Merritt at JMP
Automotive Services (Gwent)
National Star Award winners – Hall of Fame
2025: Napoleon Garage, Bradford, Yorkshire (independent garage)
2024: AJ Fleetcare, Leeds, Yorkshire (independent garage)
2023: Luke Laurence, Sales Executive at Crown Suzuki, Hendon, North London (individual team member)
2022: Roadside (Garages) Kia, Coleraine, Northern Ireland (franchise car dealership)
2021: The Garage (Whitburn), Whitburn, Scotland (independent garage)
2020: Dukes AutoTech, St Austell, Cornwall (independent garage)
Judging panel for The Motor Ombudsman’s 2025 Star Awards
Bill Fennell: Chief Ombudsman and Managing Director, The Motor Ombudsman (Host Judge)
Neil Barlow: Head of Vehicle Policy and Engineering, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)
Lesley Crompton: Head of Resolution Services, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)
Nicola St Clair: Editor, Autotechnician Magazine