Authorised, safe, audit-ready
DVSA, health & safety, equipment and waste records for your garage or MOT station, in one place, always audit-ready.
30 days free · No charge during your trial · From £39/mo · Cancel anytime
What compliance does a motor garage need?
A garage or vehicle-repair workshop carries an unusually broad compliance load because it combines hazardous substances, heavy lifting equipment, flammable materials and regulated waste under one roof, and, if it does MOTs, a separate DVSA authorisation regime on top. The core duties are: controlling substances such as oils, solvents, brake cleaner and welding fume under COSHH; maintaining and inspecting work equipment (ramps, jacks, tyre machines, brake testers) under PUWER; the LOLER thorough examination of vehicle lifts (typically every 6 months); managing flammable liquids, LPG and paint-spraying risk under DSEAR; handling waste oil, filters, batteries, tyres and coolant under the hazardous-waste duty of care; and, for MOT stations, keeping DVSA authorisation, tester qualifications, annual training and equipment calibration current. Site-specific risk assessments tie it together.
Who regulates a motor garage?
| Body | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| HSE | Health & safety at work, COSHH, PUWER, LOLER, DSEAR, and the wider HSWA 1974 in the workshop. |
| DVSA | MOT-station authorisation, tester qualifications and annual training/assessment, and test-equipment calibration. |
| Environment Agency / SEPA / NRW | Hazardous-waste duty of care, waste-carrier registration and End-of-Life Vehicle rules where relevant. |
| Local authority | Environmental permits for paint spraying / vehicle refinishing (Part B), and local nuisance/waste enforcement. |
| Fire authority | Fire safety under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, flammables make this material in a garage. |
Key risks a garage risk assessment should cover
- ▲Vehicles falling from lifts, jacks or ramps
- ▲Hazardous substances, oils, solvents, brake dust, welding fume
- ▲Fire and explosion from petrol, LPG, solvents and battery charging
- ▲Work equipment, entanglement, ejection, tyre-cage failures
- ▲Manual handling of components, wheels and batteries
- ▲Slips and trips on oil/fluid spills
- ▲Noise, and vehicle exhaust fumes in enclosed bays
- ▲Electricity, including EV high-voltage systems
Motor garage compliance checklist
- ☐ Vehicle-lift LOLER thorough examination in date
- ☐ PUWER maintenance/inspection of workshop equipment
- ☐ Calibration & certificate expiry tracked
- ☐ COSHH assessments for oils, solvents, fumes
- ☐ DSEAR assessment for flammables / spraying
- ☐ Fire risk assessment current
- ☐ Waste oil, filters, batteries, tyres, coolant segregated
- ☐ Hazardous-waste consignment notes & carrier registration
- ☐ Spray-booth Part B permit where applicable
- ☐ DVSA authorisation & tester annual training (if MOT)
- ☐ Staff training matrix current
- ☐ Accident/RIDDOR recording in place
Plain-English summary, not legal advice, check current HSE, DVSA and Environment Agency guidance for your specific work.
Everything you need to stay compliant
DVSA & H&S readiness, scored
See where your garage stands against DVSA and health-and-safety expectations, as a live readiness score.
MOT authorisation & tester training
DVSA authorisation, tester qualifications and annual training tracked with reminders.
Equipment calibration
Test-equipment calibration and quality-control checks kept in date.
LOLER & PUWER
Vehicle-lift LOLER inspections and equipment safety checks tracked.
COSHH & hazardous waste
COSHH for oils and solvents, and waste-oil and hazardous-waste records in one place.
Staff training & insurance
Staff training and motor-trade insurance tracked with expiry alerts.
What records and documents a garage needs
A well-run workshop can produce, on request: a health & safety policy and site-specific risk assessments; COSHH and DSEAR assessments; PUWER maintenance and vehicle-lift LOLER thorough-examination reports; equipment calibration and quality-control records; hazardous-waste consignment notes and waste-carrier registration; motor-trade insurance; and staff training records. For MOT stations there is a further DVSA layer on top.
MOT stations: the extra DVSA duties
If the garage is an MOT testing station, DVSA authorisation brings its own ongoing obligations: a nominated Authorised Examiner and site management; testers who hold the right qualifications and complete annual training and an annual assessment to stay active; test equipment kept calibrated and within quality-control tolerances; and connected equipment and records maintained to DVSA standards. A lapsed tester assessment or an out-of-calibration device can stop testing until it is put right, so these dates are exactly the kind of thing worth tracking with reminders rather than discovering at a site visit.
Never miss a check
Everything included, in one place
One login for all of it, no add-ons to buy to get the core job done.
Garage & MOT compliance
- ✓DVSA / H&S readiness score
- ✓MOT authorisation & tester training
- ✓Equipment calibration & LOLER/PUWER
- ✓COSHH & hazardous waste
People & training
- ✓Staff records, DBS & right to work
- ✓Training matrix with expiry alerts
- ✓Supervisions, appraisals & competencies
- ✓Unlimited staff
Records & documents
- ✓Certificate & document store with reminders
- ✓Accident book, incidents & RIDDOR check
- ✓AI-generated Health & Safety policy
- ✓Upload and organise anything
Run your business
- ✓Quotes & invoices
- ✓Public profile & client reviews
- ✓Works on any device (phone app)
- ✓Email reminders that chase for you
How Complys compares
| Complys | Typical garage software | |
|---|---|---|
| DVSA / H&S readiness scoring | ✓ | ✕ |
| Equipment, LOLER & COSHH | ✓ | ~ |
| Staff training & MOT tester records | ✓ | ~ |
| Quotes, invoices & public profile included | ✓ | ✕ |
| Affordable for an independent garage | ✓ | ✕ |
| 30 days free, no charge during your trial | ✓ | ✕ |
Comparison is against typical software in this sector; specific products vary. ✓ included · ~ partial · ✕ not usually included.
Pricing that fits your size
Start with 30 days free. The price you start on is locked in, if we ever put prices up, yours stays put. Pay yearly and get 2 months free.
Every tier includes everything. Weekly price shown on annual billing. 30-day free trial · no charge during your trial.
How Complys works for garages & MOT stations
Complys brings your DVSA, health-and-safety, equipment and waste records into one place and watches the dates for you, so a DVSA site visit or an HSE inspection is something you are ready for rather than dreading. Here is how it works.
Getting set up
You add your garage, your staff and the records you already hold, MOT authorisation and tester details where you test, equipment and calibration records, COSHH assessments, insurance and training. It works the same for an independent workshop as for a multi-bay MOT station, and setup takes minutes.
MOT authorisation and testing
For MOT stations, Complys keeps your DVSA authorisation, your testers' qualifications and annual training, your test-equipment calibration and your quality-control checks tracked with reminders. These are exactly the things a DVSA visit examines, and letting the system watch the dates removes the risk of an authorisation or calibration quietly lapsing.
Health, safety and equipment
A workshop is a hazardous environment, and Complys keeps your risk assessments, COSHH for oils, solvents and paints, LOLER inspections for vehicle lifts and PUWER checks for equipment in order. Each carries a renewal date, so an overdue lift inspection never catches you out.
Waste, environment and records
Waste oil and hazardous-waste consignment records, F-gas and air-conditioning handling where relevant, spill control, staff training and your customer and vehicle work records all sit together. It is the evidence that keeps you compliant with both the HSE and your environmental duties.
Readiness and getting started
A readiness view maps your position against DVSA and health-and-safety expectations so you always know where you stand. Complys works from the workshop or the office on any device, the reminders keep you ahead of every renewal, and it starts with a 30-day free trial and no card, priced from an independent garage upward.
Questions, answered
Is Complys a garage management or booking system?
No. Complys is the compliance side of running a garage, DVSA authorisation, equipment, health-and-safety and waste. It runs alongside whatever you use for jobs, bookings and invoicing.
How does the readiness view work?
Complys lists what DVSA and the HSE look for, authorisation and testing, equipment and safety, and waste and records, and you mark where each stands, turning it into a live readiness score.
Does it help MOT stations stay authorised?
Yes. Tester qualifications and annual training, equipment calibration and quality-control checks are tracked with reminders, so an authorisation or calibration never quietly lapses before a DVSA visit.
What does it cost?
From £39 a month for an independent garage, £79 for an MOT station or larger garage and £149 for a multi-site group. Everything is included and every plan starts with a 30-day free trial, no charge during your trial.
Does a garage need COSHH assessments?
Yes. Garages routinely use oils, solvents, brake cleaner, paints and adhesives and generate fumes such as welding fume and exhaust emissions, all of which fall under COSHH. You need assessments for the substances used, control measures, and staff information and training, kept current as products change.
How often must a vehicle lift be inspected?
A vehicle lift is lifting equipment under LOLER and needs a thorough examination by a competent person, in practice typically every 6 months where it could be used with a person on or under it, in addition to routine PUWER maintenance and daily checks. Keep the examination reports and act on any defects found.
Does a garage need a DSEAR assessment?
If you store or use flammable liquids or LPG, charge batteries, or carry out paint spraying, DSEAR applies and you need a risk assessment covering explosive and flammable atmospheres. Spray booths may also need a local-authority environmental permit, and waste oil, filters, batteries and tyres must be handled under the hazardous-waste duty of care.