Celebrating excellence at the 2026 Irish Motor Industry Awards: SIMI and Bank of Ireland announce winners

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), in partnership with Bank of Ireland, last night (Thursday 19th February) announced the Irish Motor Industry Award Winners at the prestigious Clayton Hotel in Dublin.

Marty Whelan, master of ceremonies, revealed the winners in front of over 700 senior figures in the Motor Industry. Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General, and Vinny Coghlan, Head of Asset and Motor Finance, Bank of Ireland, presented the awards.

An independent panel adjudicated the winners in six award categories, highlighting excellence and best practices in the Irish Motor Industry over the past year.

- Bodyshop of the Year: Collision Experts Galway East

- Vehicle Recovery Operator of the Year: Cartow.ie, Dublin    

- Independent Sales Operation of the Year: Ashford Motors, Wicklow

- Independent Aftersales Operation of the Year: Service Stop Ltd, Dublin

- Franchised Aftersales Operation of the Year: Fitzpatrick’s Garage, Kildare

- Franchised Sales Operation of the Year: Fitzpatrick’s Garage Mercedes-Benz, Kildare 

SIMI President Mark Woods congratulated this year’s award winners and nominees. Acknowledging the wide, diverse, and wonderful businesses that form the Irish Motor Industry.

Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) also announced the regional winners of the ZEVI EV Dealership of the Year awards. These awards recognise and reward excellence in the promotion and sale of electric vehicles (EVs) in Ireland.

- Fred Kilmartin Ltd Co. Galway, (Connacht)

- Fitzpatrick’s Garage, Naas, Co. Kildare (Leinster)

- Nyhan Motors. Co. Cork (Munster)

- Connolly’s Volkswagen Letterkenny Co. Donegal (Ulster)

Addressing attendees, Mr. Woods commented, “The automotive industry is undergoing a dramatic transformation. The shift to battery-electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles is an exciting moment for our sector. Change on this scale brings increased costs, new regulatory demands, and a different way of doing business. This decarbonisation transition will be delivered through a combination of technologies: electric and hybrid vehicles, low-carbon fuels, and ongoing efficiency improvements across the entire fleet. Managing this transformation requires coordinated action from policymakers, infrastructure providers, energy suppliers, and industry, so that emissions continue to fall while maintaining affordable, practical, and accessible mobility for consumers and for businesses.”

Vinny Coghlan, Head of Asset and Motor Finance, Bank of Ireland. “Bank of Ireland is delighted to continue our sponsorship of the SIMI Irish Motor Industry Awards. 2026 marks our 10th year of our sponsorship, and this event serves as a reminder of the relentless dedication to customer excellence shown across every stage of the motor customer journey in the industry. Supporting the motor industry remains a key element of our strategy in Bank of Ireland, and we look forward to evolving and enhancing our customer journey to meet the needs of this dynamic sector.”