10:58 am, September 3, 2026
Automotive firms have been named and shamed by the government for failing to pay National Minimum Wage.
The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade has today (Sep 3) publicly outed around 660 employers who have been paying staff below the legal requirement.
The list includes some of the biggest companies in the country, including DIY giant B&Q, with car dealers and garages also among their number.
Ministers say that around £4m in wages has been repaid to more than 27,000 workers following ‘robust’ enforcement action, with penalties totalling £7m dished out to employers found not to be paying the legal minimum wage.
Among the automotive businesses named is Advance Motors Ltd, which trades as Advance Vauxhall in Slough.
The company was found to have owed £7,014.98 to 35 workers, making it the largest amount owed by an automotive business on the list.
Meanwhile, The Tyre Store Ltd, trading as Just Tyres, was found to have underpaid 173 workers by a combined £6,717.02, with Reynolds Motor Group Service Centre Ltd in Southend-on-Sea also outed for owing a single worker £6,272.64.
Other businesses appearing on the list include D & T Motors in Penryn, which owed two workers £5,528.65, while Automobile Repair Services in Rotherham was found to owe one employee £2,733.78.
Elsewhere, Auto-Mech Cheddar Ltd was ordered to repay £2,583.75 to one worker, with Autoplus (UK) Ltd in Stockton-on-Tees owing three employees £2,231.06.
I Drive Automotive in Polegate was found to have underpaid two workers by £2,150.72.
Other automotive firms named include P J Automotive in Stoke-on-Trent, Ferrymill Motors in Glasgow, Keep it Cheap – Car Rentals, trading as KIC Garage Services, in Wirral, and G&S Auto Centre in Cannock.
The full details of the automotive businesses included in the list can be found below. Car Dealer has attempted to reach them for comment.
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: ‘The best businesses know that looking after your workers isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do, building the stronger, more successful businesses that drive growth in every postcode.
‘Most employers already understand this, and I want to work with them to ensure they have every piece of guidance and support available to help them follow the rules.
‘Short-changing your staff isn’t a shortcut to success and we are determined to stamp it out.”
Kate Dearden minister for the future of work, added: ‘Underpaying your staff is illegal, and we will not let workers foot the bill for their boss failing to follow the rules.
‘We are making sure workers get the hard-earned pay they deserve, and where employers fall short, they will be held to account.
‘Every employer should check their payroll now and reach out to Acas if they need further support.’
The decision to name and shame the firms involved has been welcomed by unions who say there is ‘no excuse for workers being cheated out of the minimum wage’.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: ‘Bosses who fail to pay the minimum wage deserve to be named and shamed.
‘There is no excuse for workers being cheated out of the minimum wage. It’s bad for workers, families and the economy.
‘Every pound taken from a worker’s pocket is a pound that could have been spent in local shops, cafes and high streets.
‘That’s why the Government’s new Fair Work Agency is so important. It is a chance to come down hard on rogue employers who refuse to do right by their staff.’