Wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (SIC division 45)
Division 45 of the UK SIC 2007 list. It holds 7 codes, listed in full below with the number of active UK companies filed under each.
What sits in division 45
Division 45 holds everything to do with selling, servicing and repairing motor vehicles and motorcycles. The SIC system keeps it apart from general retail and wholesale. Independent garages under 45200 are the biggest block. Used car dealers on 45112 come next. Parts businesses split by channel: 45320 for retail counters and web shops, 45310 for trade wholesale. Franchised new car dealerships use 45111. Vans, trucks and other vehicles use 45190. Code 45400 wraps the whole motorcycle trade into one: sales, servicing and parts together.
The motor trade is a staple market for insurance brokers. They need a steady flow of garages and dealers to quote for motor trade combined policies. Warranty administrators, parts distributors, MOT equipment suppliers and vehicle finance houses work it too. So do accountants who understand stocking loans. A new incorporation usually means premises, equipment and cover are all being arranged at once. Weak websites are still common among independent garages, and the poor-website filter hands local marketing firms an easy first conversation.
How to read a division 45 code
A UK SIC code is five digits and division 45 is the first two of them. Everything filed under 45 shares those digits: all 7 codes below begin 45, then the third digit narrows to a group, the fourth to a class and the fifth to the subclass a company actually picks. Division 45 sits inside section G, wholesale and retail trade, which is the broadest tier of the classification. So a code is read left to right, from an industry down to a specific activity.
More on how division 45 codes are built
Companies choose their own codes at incorporation and can change them on any confirmation statement, and Companies House does not check the answer. A company may list up to four. That is worth knowing before you treat any division total as a headcount: the numbers here are what companies said about themselves, on the August 2026 register, and the largest single code in this division is 45200, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles.
Working division 45 as a list
Division 45 holds 7 codes and 127,880 active companies between them. 45200 is the largest at 45 per cent and the top three take 83 per cent, with the rest spread across the remaining 4 codes. That is balanced enough that the division is a reasonable unit to work, though the leading code alone will usually give you a cleaner list.
More on working division 45
A caveat that matters more in some divisions than others: a company may register up to four SIC codes, and the figures below count every position, not just the first. A business filed under two codes in this division appears under both. Treat the totals as reach rather than a headcount, and if you need a clean list, filter to companies whose FIRST code sits in the division. Every company you pull carries the Companies House record, the director's name, a verified website and a verified email, and the ones we cannot complete are not charged.
Every SIC code in division 45
45111, Sale of new cars and light motor vehicles45112, Sale of used cars and light motor vehicles45190, Sale of other motor vehicles45200, Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles45310, Wholesale trade of motor vehicle parts and accessories45320, Retail trade of motor vehicle parts and accessories45400, Sale, maintenance and repair of motorcycles and related parts and accessoriesProspecting this division
Division 45 companies, as leads
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Division 45 questions
Should a used car dealer that also runs a workshop register 45112 or 45200?
Use both. Companies House lets a company hold up to four SIC codes. Listing 45112 for vehicle sales next to 45200 for repair work is normal practice. You choose the codes yourself at incorporation. You can update them on your next confirmation statement (CS01). There is no approval process to pass.
Which code fits a business selling car parts online?
Retail of motor vehicle parts and accessories is 45320, whatever the channel. So an online parts shop belongs there, not under 47910 general internet retail. Vehicle parts are deliberately kept inside division 45. If the same company also sells unrelated goods online, it can add 47910 as a second code.
Find companies across division 45
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