How to Start a Mobile Mechanic Business in Ontario
Start a mobile mechanic business in Ontario: the compulsory 310S trade certificate, the $60 business name registration, municipal licences, insurance, safety certificates, and HST.
How to Start a Mobile Mechanic Business in Canada
Start a mobile mechanic business in Canada: trade certification by province, van and tools, insurance, waste handling, and booking the first jobs.
Applies in: across Canada
The short answer
A mobile mechanic business is a certified trade business on wheels, not a side job with a toolbox. The van is the shop, the driveway is the work bay, and the trade certificate is what lets you charge for the work in the first place. Get the certificate question settled for your province first, then register the business, insure the van, and start with work that is safe to do on site.
There is no single Canada-wide mechanic licence. Automotive service technician certification is compulsory in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Alberta, and voluntary in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. In Ontario the trade is listed as Automotive Service Technician 310S, a compulsory trade with 7,220 total apprenticeship hours, including 720 in-school hours. In a compulsory province, do the trade work only if you hold the certificate or work as a registered apprentice under a certified journeyperson.
Pick the work you will actually do on site
Mobile work wins on convenience: the customer does not tow the car, wait in a shop, or lose a day. It loses on anything that needs a hoist or a clean, controlled bay. Build the first service list around that limit.
Good starter work includes brakes, batteries, oil and filter changes, tire rotations, light suspension parts, belt and hose replacement, and diagnostics with a scan tool. These jobs fit in a driveway, use hand tools and a jack with stands, and finish in a predictable window.
Work to leave for a shop includes engine and transmission removal, structural welding, air conditioning gas handling unless you hold the right credential for it, and any job where the car must stay on a hoist overnight. Saying no to those jobs is part of the business, not a gap in it. A customer who hears a clear no and a referral to a shop trusts you more than one who watches you struggle under a car on a jack.
Register the business
Most mobile mechanics start as sole proprietors. If you trade under your own legal name, many provinces do not require a business name registration. If you trade under any other name, register it with your province. In Ontario, a business name registration costs $60 and lasts five years. A CRA business number is free, and you need one when you register for GST/HST or payroll.
Check your municipal business licence separately. Some cities licence mobile service businesses, some licence home-based businesses, and some ask for both if you store the van and stock at home. Ask your city business licence office what category a mobile repair business falls under before your first paid job, because a provincial registration is not a municipal licence.
Track revenue against the $30,000 GST/HST threshold from the first invoice. You must register once taxable sales pass $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters, or $30,000 in a single quarter. Below that, registration is optional, and many operators register early to claim back tax paid on tools and parts.
Fit out the van for driveway work
The van has to carry the shop, keep fluids contained, and stay safe to drive fully loaded. Start with the safety kit, then the tools.
- A floor jack and rated jack stands, wheel chocks, and a torque wrench. Never work under a vehicle held up by a jack alone.
- A scan tool, a multimeter, a full hand-tool set, an impact wrench, and a battery tester and booster pack.
- Sealed, labelled containers for used oil and coolant, absorbent pads for spills, and a bin for old parts and filters.
- A work light, a creeper, and a basic parts stock: filters, common bulbs, fuses, and fluids for the vehicles you see most.
Secure everything. A loose toolbox in a hard stop is a hazard, and a tipped oil container in a customer driveway ends the job and the relationship. Load the van the same way every time so a missing tool shows up before you leave, not at the job.
Insurance, safety inspections, and waste
Talk to a broker who insures trades before you move a customer vehicle. Commercial vehicle insurance covers the van as a work vehicle, and commercial general liability covers damage or injury linked to your work. Ask specifically what covers you while a customer vehicle is in your care, being driven, or parked at a job site, because that is the exposure that matters most in this trade.
Do not promise safety inspections or certificates unless you hold the station licence for them. In Ontario, safety standards certificates come from DriveON Vehicle Inspection Centres licensed by the Ministry of Transportation, and a certificate is valid for 36 calendar days after the inspection. A mobile repair business and an inspection station are different licences. If a customer needs a certificate, send them to a licensed station and offer to do the repairs it lists.
Waste handling is a daily task, not an occasional chore. Used oil, coolant, and filters go in sealed containers to a municipal depot or licensed collector. Keep drop-off receipts with your records. A clean driveway at the end of the job is part of the service, and it is what gets you invited back.
Get the first jobs
No registry hands you work. Fleets and small businesses are the best early clients because they have several vehicles, repeat needs, and a reason to want work done on site: delivery vans, contractor trucks, and sales fleets lose money sitting in a shop queue.
Start with people and businesses you already know, price the first jobs plainly, and write down what each job took: parts cost, time on site, travel time, and any return visit. That log is your price list in a month. Offer a written quote before the work, a parts and labour breakdown on the invoice, and photos of worn parts you replaced. Customers who cannot see the old brake pad will not remember why the bill was what it was.
Once the log shows steady bookings, add one service at a time. A second van, a helper, or a shop bay all follow demand. None of them should come before it.
Startup checklist
From certified mechanic to first paid mobile job
- Confirm your trade standingCheck whether automotive service technician certification is compulsory in your province, and confirm your certificate or apprenticeship registration
- Register the businessRegister a business name if you trade under one, get a CRA business number, and check your municipal business licence
- Set up the van and insuranceFit out the van, arrange commercial vehicle and liability cover, and set up sealed containers for used fluids
- Pick a starter service listOffer driveway-safe work first: brakes, batteries, oil changes, diagnostics, and light suspension work
- Book the first jobsTake bookings from people you know, then fleets and small businesses that want work done on site
Paperwork costs to budget
| Ontario business name registration | $60 |
|---|---|
| CRA business number | Free |
| Municipal business licence | Varies by city |
The Ontario business name registration lasts five years. Municipal licence fees differ by city, so check your own city before you quote a start-up total.
Questions people ask
Do I need a licence to be a mobile mechanic in Canada?
There is no single Canada-wide mechanic licence. The trade is automotive service technician, and its certification is compulsory in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Alberta, and voluntary in the other provinces and territories. In a compulsory province, the person doing the trade work needs the certificate or a registered apprenticeship. In a voluntary province, certification is still the credential customers and fleets look for, even though the law does not require it.
Can an apprentice run a mobile mechanic business?
Not on their own in a compulsory province. An apprentice works under a certified journeyperson, so a solo mobile business run by an apprentice alone does not fit that rule. If you are still apprenticing, the workable routes are to finish the certificate first, or to work under a certified mechanic who takes responsibility for the trade work while you build the client list.
What does a mobile mechanic need beyond trade certification?
The same business paperwork as any sole proprietor: a provincial business name registration if you trade under a name other than your own, a CRA business number, and a municipal business licence where your city requires one. Add commercial vehicle insurance for the work van, commercial general liability insurance, and a plan for used oil, coolant, and old parts. None of these replace the trade certificate where one is required.
What work should a mobile mechanic avoid doing in a driveway?
Avoid work that needs a hoist, a controlled space, or a licensed inspection station. Heavy jobs such as engine or transmission removal, structural welding, and work under a vehicle held up by a jack alone belong in a shop. Safety inspections and certificates are a separate station licence in provinces such as Ontario, so do not promise a certificate you cannot issue.
When does a mobile mechanic have to charge GST/HST?
Repair services are taxable supplies. You must register for GST/HST once your taxable sales pass $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters, or $30,000 in a single quarter. Below that you are a small supplier and registration is optional. Many operators register early so they can claim back the GST/HST paid on tools, parts, and van costs.
How do I dispose of used oil and coolant as a mobile mechanic?
Never pour used oil, coolant, or wash water down a drain or onto the ground. Carry sealed, labelled containers for each fluid, keep them upright in the van, and take them to a municipal depot or a licensed collector in your area. Ask the depot what it accepts before you load the van, and keep the drop-off receipts with your business records.
Sources
- Government of Canada, National Occupational Classification profile for automotive service technicians — certification compulsory in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Alberta, and voluntary elsewhere; four-year apprenticeship route.
- Skilled Trades Ontario, Apprenticeship Programs Chart (June 2026) — Automotive Service Technician 310S compulsory, 7,220 total apprenticeship hours, 720 in-school hours.
- Ontario, Safety standards certificate — certificates issued by DriveON Vehicle Inspection Centres licensed by the Ministry of Transportation; valid 36 calendar days after the inspection. (Replaces the former Regulation 601 citation: that regulation was revoked April 1, 2025.)
- Ontario, Cost and time required to register, change or search for a business name, corporation or not-for-profit — business name registration $60 online, $60 renewal; updated September 29, 2026.
- Ontario, Ontario Business Registry: all services — a Business Name Registration expires every 5 years.
- Canada Revenue Agency, Business registration with the CRA — how to register for a business number through Business Registration Online; no fee is published for business number registration.
- Canada Revenue Agency, GST/HST memorandum 8-5: Becoming and Ceasing to be a Registrant (June 2026) — small supplier threshold of $30,000 over the previous four calendar quarters or in any single calendar quarter.
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