Two Inverness motor businesses have secured four finalist places at one of the UK’s major motor trade awards, just months after Culloden Cars was crowned UK Independent Dealer of the Year.

Culloden Cars and sister company Top Car Services will now compete at the Motor Trader Industry Awards 2026, where independent businesses line up alongside franchised dealerships and national dealer groups.

Culloden Cars has been shortlisted for Aftersales Excellence and Used Car Retailer of the Year for businesses stocking up to 50 vehicles, while Managing Director Craig Walker is a finalist for Business Manager of the Year.

Top Car Services completes the quartet with a place in the final for Independent Garage of the Year.

The recognition follows a successful June for Culloden Cars, when the business won UK Independent Dealer of the Year and the Aftersales Excellence Award at the Motor Trader Independent Dealer Awards.

The latest competition takes the Inverness businesses onto a wider stage, with franchised dealerships and national dealer groups included and Culloden Cars competing directly against franchised operations in two categories.

Both businesses are part of the Walker Motor Group, with the Culloden Cars dealership on Barnchurch Road working alongside the Top Car Services workshop on Harbour Road.

During 2025, Culloden Cars sold 634 vehicles and received 255 customer reviews, including 247 carrying five star ratings.

Top Car Services recorded turnover exceeding £1.1 million during the same year, with around three quarters of workshop jobs coming from returning customers and 1,785 MOTs completed.

The businesses have also built an audience far beyond the Highlands, with the Culloden Cars YouTube channel attracting more than 575,000 views and over 2,000 subscribers.

Its weekly Dealership Diaries series accounts for 371,000 views and more than 24,000 hours of viewing, with one customer even flying from Kent to Inverness to buy a car after discovering the dealership through the series.

Craig Walker said:

“Winning UK Independent Dealer of the Year in June meant a great deal to everyone here.

“To now be shortlisted four times at the Industry Awards, alongside franchised dealers and some of the biggest names in the trade, shows our approach stands up on any stage.

“We have always believed that being based in the Highlands should never mean accepting a lower standard of service.

“Our customers deserve honest advice, properly prepared vehicles and support when something goes wrong, just as they would anywhere else in the country.

“These are finalist places, not wins, and we are up against some excellent businesses from across the UK.

“But reaching the shortlist is real recognition for the work the team puts in every day.”

Top Car Services was established in August 2022 and has grown through repeat business and recommendations, including specialist repair referrals from other independent garages.

Service Director Liam Grant said:

“Independent businesses in the Highlands work hard to earn people’s trust.

“You cannot take that trust for granted, particularly when customers may be travelling a significant distance to buy a car or have work carried out.

“For two connected Inverness businesses to receive this level of national recognition shows what can be achieved by investing in local people, facilities and customer care.”

The winners will be announced at the Motor Trader Industry Awards at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Wednesday 18 November.