UK Garage Marketing Leaderboard 2026: Halfords Autocentres, Arnold Clark and Kwik Fit Lead 10 Brands

Last Updated on November 4, 2026

Halfords Autocentres scores highest of the ten UK garage, tyre and car repair brands compared, at 7.1 out of 10 on the Whito leaderboard.

Opinion and analysis. Whito read every brand below by hand on 22 October 2026, using publicly visible activity only, against fixed anchors and the same ten UK searches. Each channel is scored 0 to 10, set out under How we scored, so a score describes what we could see on the day, not the quality of the service. Brands cannot pay to appear or to change a score. Where a figure is not published, we say so.

Many garage owners assume the big chains win on ad spend. On this board ad spend barely separates them: eight of the ten were running more than 50 Google ads and 10 or more Meta ads. What separates them is email, reviews and search.

Halfords Autocentres scores 7.1, ahead of Arnold Clark on 6.7 and Kwik Fit on 6.3. All ten let you book online. Search is almost open ground: across 10 UK searches, from ‘MOT near me’ to ‘car garage Leeds’, only Halfords and National Tyres appeared, once each, both for ‘car service and MOT’.

Autoglass scores lowest at 4.1. Its homepage links no social profiles and captures no email, and it appeared in none of 10 UK searches, although its Trustpilot rating is 4.5 from 151,668 reviews.

The leaderboard

Average is the simple mean of the seven channel scores, rounded to one decimal place. Brands on the same average share a rank and are listed A to Z. All ten brands read 22 October 2026.

Company verdicts

Halfords Autocentres, 7.1

Halfords Autocentres scores 7.1, the highest of the ten. Email scores 8, the highest here: a newsletter sign-up, a customer account and the Halfords Motoring Club, with a Premium tier at £5.49 a month. Paid scores 10, with about 8,000 Google ads in 30 days and 54 active Meta ads from the Halfords page. Its website scores 10 for online booking of MOTs and servicing by registration and postcode. It is one of only two brands to appear in any of the 10 UK searches, through its help and blog pages, so SEO scores 5. Reviews score 7 from 3.5 on 71,384 Trustpilot reviews for halfords.com, which covers the whole retailer, with replies to 15 of the latest 20.

Arnold Clark, 6.7

Arnold Clark scores 6.7, second on the board. It is a car retailer first, and its servicing arm sits inside the same site, with a page to book a car service online, which earns a website score of 10. Email scores 7 for a newsletter sign-up (‘Latest news and offers’) plus an app. Reviews score 8 from 4.7 on 196,681 Trustpilot reviews, though none of the latest 20 has a reply. Paid scores 10, with about 4,000 Google ads and 69 active Meta ads from the main Arnold Clark page. Social scores 6, with six platforms linked. arnoldclark.com appeared in none of 10 UK searches.

Kwik Fit, 6.3

Kwik Fit scores 6.3. Paid scores 10, with about 7,000 Google ads and 84 active Meta ads, the most Meta ads of any garage chain here bar Protyre. Its website scores 10 for online booking of MOTs, servicing and tyres, with mobile fitting and its tyre fitting charge (£20.50 per tyre) stated. Reviews score 7 from 4.3 on 82,233 Trustpilot reviews, with replies to 3 of the latest 20. Email scores 4 for the Kwik Fit Club account, with no newsletter seen. Brand scores 4: one name everywhere, and its old jingle survives on the homepage as ‘you really can’t get better’. kwik-fit.com appeared in none of 10 UK searches.

Mr Clutch, 6.0

Mr Clutch scores 6.0. Reviews are its strength at 9, the highest on the board, from 4.8 on 4,305 Trustpilot reviews with replies to 15 of the latest 20. Its website scores 10 and shows prices on the homepage: MOTs at £41.99 or less at participating branches and servicing from £158.60, with Book Now buttons. Paid scores 10, with about 600 Google ads and 26 active Meta ads. Social scores 6 for five platforms. Email scores 0, with no sign-up or account seen. mrclutch.com appeared in none of 10 UK searches.

Protyre, 5.9

Protyre scores 5.9. Paid scores 10, with about 1,000 Google ads and 110 active Meta ads, the most Meta ads on the board. Reviews score 8 from 4.7 on 217,340 Trustpilot reviews, the most reviews here, but none of the latest 20 has a reply. Its website scores 10 for online booking of tyres, MOTs and servicing by registration and postcode. Social scores 6 for five platforms. Email scores 0, with no sign-up or account seen on the homepage. protyre.co.uk appeared in none of 10 UK searches; a car help and advice section adds a point.

National Tyres, 5.7

National Tyres scores 5.7. It is one of only two brands to appear in any of the 10 UK searches, with a blog page ranking for ‘car service and MOT’, so SEO scores 5. Paid scores 10, with about 1,000 Google ads and 15 active Meta ads from its page, which describes it as ‘a halfords company’. Its website scores 10 for online booking. Reviews score 5 from 3.5 on 85,209 Trustpilot reviews, with no replies on the latest 20. Email scores 2 for a sign-up for special offers. Social scores 4 for three platforms. The business says it was established in 1970.

F1 Autocentres, 5.6

F1 Autocentres scores 5.6. Brand scores 6, level highest here, because its homepage names its local staff by branch and states ‘Family owned since 1969’. Its website scores 10, with prices from £29 on the homepage and booking by registration and postcode. Paid scores 10, with about 5,000 Google ads and 15 active Meta ads from the Formula One Autocentres page. Reviews score 7 from 4.4 on 45,380 Trustpilot reviews, with a reply on 1 of the latest 20. Social scores 4 for two platforms and email 0. f1autocentres.co.uk appeared in none of 10 UK searches.

Blackcircles, 5.4

Blackcircles scores 5.4. It sells tyres online with fitting booked at a local garage, and says it works with over 2,200 fitting centres, so its website scores 10. Paid scores 10, with about 3,000 Google ads and 31 active Meta ads. Reviews score 7 from 4.6 on 204,831 Trustpilot reviews, with no replies on the latest 20. Email scores 4 for a customer account. Social scores 0: no social profile links were found on the homepage. blackcircles.com appeared in none of 10 UK searches.

Bosch Car Service, 4.3

Bosch Car Service scores 4.3. It is a network of independent garages, and its website scores 10 for a garage finder with online booking, though no prices are shown. Brand scores 6 for one name everywhere, a clear line (‘The Trusted Car Garage Network’) and a name it says has stood for automotive care since 1921. Reviews score 1: its Trustpilot profile shows 2.7 from 31 reviews, as customers review the individual garages elsewhere. Paid scores 6 on about 200 Google ads; no active Meta ads were found from a central Bosch Car Service page when read on 23 October 2026. Email scores 0; the only login seen is for member garages.

Autoglass, 4.1

Autoglass scores 4.1, the lowest of the ten. Reviews score 7 from 4.5 on 151,668 Trustpilot reviews, though none of the latest 20 has a reply. Its website scores 10 for online appointment booking. Paid scores 6 on about 700 Google ads; no active Meta ads were found from an Autoglass page when read on 23 October 2026. Social and email both score 0: no social links and no email capture on the homepage. autoglass.co.uk appeared in none of 10 UK searches. The low score reflects how little of its marketing sits on its own channels, not the service.

What the channels show

Online booking is now the floor

All ten brands let you book online, so all ten score 10 on website. Only two put prices on the homepage: Mr Clutch (MOT £41.99 or less, servicing from £158.60) and F1 Autocentres (from £29). In this trade the booking form no longer sets a brand apart. A clear price next to it still does.

Paid spend is near universal

Eight of the ten score 10 on paid, each running more than 50 Google ads and 10 or more Meta ads. Protyre had 110 active Meta ads, Kwik Fit 84 and Arnold Clark 69. Bosch Car Service and Autoglass ran Google ads but no Meta ads from their own pages when read on 23 October 2026. With everyone advertising, ads alone do not move a brand up this board.

Search is almost open ground

Eight of the ten brands appeared in none of 10 UK searches, including ‘MOT near me’, ‘MOT cost UK’ and all five town searches. Halfords and National Tyres appeared once each, both for ‘car service and MOT’. The results were held by garage directories, comparison sites and insurers’ advice pages. A garage page for each town, with prices, competes on equal terms.

Email is the widest gap

Email scores run from 8 for Halfords Autocentres to 0 for Mr Clutch, Protyre, F1 Autocentres, Bosch Car Service and Autoglass. Half the board captures no email at all, in a trade where every MOT has a due date a year ahead.

Key lessons for any garage business

Put a price beside the booking button

Every brand here takes bookings online, but only Mr Clutch and F1 Autocentres show prices on the homepage. A fixed MOT price and a starting price for a service answer the first question a driver has.

Capture the MOT date

Five of the ten brands capture no email on their homepage. Halfords Autocentres leads on email with a newsletter, account and Motoring Club. For a local garage, an email or text reminder before the next MOT is the simplest version of the same thing.

Reply to your reviews

Mr Clutch replies to 15 of its latest 20 Trustpilot reviews and scores 9 on reviews, the highest here. Protyre, Arnold Clark and Blackcircles each hold 4.6 or more from over 190,000 reviews but reply to none of their latest 20. Replying costs nothing but time.

Take the local searches

Not one of the ten appeared for ‘car garage’ in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds or Bristol. Those results went to directories. A page per town you serve, with your prices and real reviews, competes where the national chains are not showing.

Steal this playbook

Five moves from this leaderboard, ranked by return on effort.

1. Reply to every review you have. Mr Clutch replies to 15 of its latest 20 and scores 9 on reviews; six of the ten reply to none.
2. Show your MOT price on the homepage. Only Mr Clutch and F1 Autocentres do, out of ten brands that all take bookings online.
3. Collect an email or mobile number for MOT reminders. Five of the ten brands capture no email at all; Halfords Autocentres scores 8 for doing it well.
4. Build a page for each town you cover. None of the ten appeared in any of the five town searches.
5. Link your social profiles from your site. Blackcircles and Autoglass link none and score 0 on social.

The evidence behind the scores

One line per channel, as read on the date shown for each brand. Review figures change daily; these are the numbers on the day we looked.

Halfords Autocentres

Read 22 October 2026.

• Social 6: Links to Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube and TikTok, five platforms in all.
• Website 10: Online booking for MOTs and servicing by registration and postcode, with service packages listed; MOT price not shown until a car is entered.
• Email 8: A newsletter sign-up, a customer account and the Halfords Motoring Club (Premium at £5.49 a month); personal offers not verified.
• SEO 5: 1 of 10 UK web searches returned halfords.com in the top ten (‘car service and MOT’, via help.halfords.com and blog.halfords.com), plus credit for a help and advice library.
• Paid 10: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain halfords.com: about 8,000 ads. Meta Ad Library, UK, active ads from the Halfords page: 54.
• Reviews 7: Trustpilot 3.5 from 71,384 reviews (the halfords.com profile, covering the whole retailer), with a company reply on 15 of the latest 20.
• Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘Inspiring a Lifetime of Motoring and Cycling’); no long-running asset, named people or three recent news mentions found.

Arnold Clark

Read 22 October 2026.

• Social 6: Links to Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and TikTok, six platforms in all.
• Website 10: A servicing page to book a car service online, alongside car prices and finance figures on the homepage; servicing prices not shown up front.
• Email 7: A newsletter sign-up (‘Latest news and offers’) plus an app.
• SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned arnoldclark.com in the top ten.
• Paid 10: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain arnoldclark.com: about 4,000 ads. Meta Ad Library, UK, active ads from the Arnold Clark page: 69.
• Reviews 8: Trustpilot 4.7 from 196,681 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20 (Trustpilot shows replies to 99% of negative reviews).
• Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘the UK’s largest independently owned, family-run car retailer’, founded in 1954); no distinctive asset, named people or three recent news mentions found.

Kwik Fit

Read 22 October 2026.

• Social 6: Links to Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube, four platforms in all.
• Website 10: Online booking for MOTs, servicing and tyres, mobile tyre fitting, and its fitting charge stated (£20.50 per tyre).
• Email 4: A Kwik Fit Club customer account; no newsletter or app seen.
• SEO 3: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned kwik-fit.com in the top ten, plus credit for a tyre and motoring advice library.
• Paid 10: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain kwik-fit.com: about 7,000 ads. Meta Ad Library, UK, active ads from the Kwik Fit page: 84.
• Reviews 7: Trustpilot 4.3 from 82,233 reviews, with a company reply on 3 of the latest 20.
• Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a long-running asset (its jingle line, used on the homepage as ‘you really can’t get better’); no positioning line on the homepage, named people or three recent news mentions found.

Mr Clutch

Read 22 October 2026.

• Social 6: Links to Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, five platforms in all.
• Website 10: Prices on the homepage (MOT £41.99 or less at participating branches, servicing from £158.60) with Book Now routes by registration and postcode; Trading Standards Approved Code named.
• Email 0: No email sign-up, newsletter, account or app seen on the homepage.
• SEO 3: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned mrclutch.com in the top ten, plus credit for a blog with advice articles.
• Paid 10: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain mrclutch.com: about 600 ads. Meta Ad Library, UK, active ads from the Mr Clutch Autocentres page: 26.
• Reviews 9: Trustpilot 4.8 from 4,305 reviews, with a company reply on 15 of the latest 20.
• Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘Save up to 60% off main dealer prices’); no distinctive asset, named people or three recent news mentions found.

Protyre

Read 22 October 2026.

• Social 6: Links to Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn, five platforms in all.
• Website 10: Online booking for tyres, MOTs and servicing by registration and postcode; prices shown after a car is entered.
• Email 0: No email sign-up, newsletter, account or app seen on the homepage.
• SEO 3: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned protyre.co.uk in the top ten, plus credit for a car help and advice library.
• Paid 10: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain protyre.co.uk: about 1,000 ads. Meta Ad Library, UK, active ads from the Protyre page: 110.
• Reviews 8: Trustpilot 4.7 from 217,340 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20 (Trustpilot shows replies to 99% of negative reviews).
• Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘Helping you find car tyres, book a car MOT or car service’); no distinctive asset, named people or three recent news mentions found.

National Tyres

Read 22 October 2026.

• Social 4: Links to Facebook, X and YouTube, three platforms in all.
• Website 10: Online booking for tyres, MOTs, servicing and repairs by registration, with mobile fitting and a price promise; no prices on the homepage.
• Email 2: A ‘Sign up for special offers’ link; no account or app seen.
• SEO 5: 1 of 10 UK web searches returned national.co.uk in the top ten (‘car service and MOT’, a blog page), plus credit for a blog.
• Paid 10: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain national.co.uk: about 1,000 ads. Meta Ad Library, UK, active ads from the National Tyres and Autocare page: 15.
• Reviews 5: Trustpilot 3.5 from 85,209 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20.
• Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘Buy Tyres online, Book Locally Near You’); established in 1970, but no distinctive asset, named people or three recent news mentions found.

F1 Autocentres

Read 22 October 2026.

• Social 4: Links to Facebook and X, two platforms in all.
• Website 10: Prices on the homepage (from £29) with booking by registration and postcode and a price promise.
• Email 0: No email sign-up, newsletter, account or app seen on the homepage.
• SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned f1autocentres.co.uk in the top ten; the linked news site is not an advice library.
• Paid 10: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain f1autocentres.co.uk: about 5,000 ads. Meta Ad Library, UK, active ads from the Formula One Autocentres page: 15.
• Reviews 7: Trustpilot 4.4 from 45,380 reviews, with a company reply on 1 of the latest 20 (Trustpilot shows replies to 88% of negative reviews).
• Brand 6: A clear positioning line (‘The UK’s Leading Car Maintenance Provider’), ‘Family owned since 1969’, and local staff named by branch on the homepage; trades as both F1 Autocentres and Formula One Autocentres, and three recent news mentions not found.

Blackcircles

Read 22 October 2026.

• Social 0: No social media links found on the homepage, so there are no profiles to compare.
• Website 10: Tyres priced and sold online with fitting booked at a local garage (over 2,200 fitting centres stated), plus MOT and service booking.
• Email 4: A customer account login; no newsletter or app seen.
• SEO 3: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned blackcircles.com in the top ten, plus credit for tyre advice articles.
• Paid 10: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain blackcircles.com: about 3,000 ads. Meta Ad Library, UK, active ads from the Blackcircles.com page: 31.
• Reviews 7: Trustpilot 4.6 from 204,831 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20 (Trustpilot shows replies to 99% of negative reviews).
• Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘Pioneering the way motorists buy tyres online since 2001’); no social profiles to compare, and no named people or three recent news mentions found.

Bosch Car Service

Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).

• Social 4: Links to Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, three platforms in all.
• Website 10: A garage finder with online booking for servicing, MOTs and repairs; no prices shown.
• Email 0: No customer email sign-up, newsletter or app seen; the only login is for member garages.
• SEO 3: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned boschcarservice.com in the top ten, plus credit for a guides library.
• Paid 6: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain boschcarservice.com: about 200 ads. Meta Ad Library, UK, read 23 October 2026: no active ads from a central Bosch Car Service page found (one member garage page, Strathclyde Autotune, had 1).
• Reviews 1: Trustpilot 2.7 from 31 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20.
• Brand 6: Same name everywhere, a clear positioning line (‘The Trusted Car Garage Network’) and a name it says has stood for automotive care since 1921; named people and three recent news mentions not found.

Autoglass

Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).

• Social 0: No social media links found on the homepage, so there are no profiles to compare.
• Website 10: Online appointment booking for windscreen repair and replacement, with a ‘What will it cost?’ section; no prices on the homepage.
• Email 0: No email sign-up, newsletter, account or app seen on the homepage.
• SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned autoglass.co.uk in the top ten.
• Paid 6: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain autoglass.co.uk: about 700 ads. Meta Ad Library, UK, read 23 October 2026: no active ads from an Autoglass page found.
• Reviews 7: Trustpilot 4.5 from 151,668 reviews, with no company reply on the latest 20 (Trustpilot shows replies to 99% of negative reviews).
• Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘Vehicle Windscreen Repair and Replace’); no named people or three recent news mentions found.

How we scored

Who is on the board. Ten UK brands a driver is likely to meet when booking an MOT, a service, tyres or a car repair: Halfords Autocentres (national garage chain within the Halfords group), Kwik Fit (national tyre, MOT and servicing chain), National Tyres (national tyre and autocare chain, part of Halfords), Mr Clutch (clutch, brake and servicing specialist chain), F1 Autocentres (family-owned national tyre and servicing chain, also trading as Formula One Autocentres), Protyre (national tyre, MOT and servicing chain), Arnold Clark (car retailer with servicing and MOT centres), Blackcircles (online tyre retailer with fitting at partner garages), Bosch Car Service (network of independent garages under the Bosch name) and Autoglass (national windscreen repair and replacement firm). Chosen for relevance and size, not marketing strength.

This board was first published with scores relative to the other brands on it. On 22 October 2026 it was rescored on Whito’s fixed anchors and expanded to ten brands, so scores are not comparable with the earlier edition.

When we looked. All ten brands were read on 22 October 2026, with the ten searches below run once on that date.

• Social: which platforms the brand links to from its own site, and whether we could see recent posting and video.
• Website: 2 for a brochure page, 4 with a contact route on mobile, 6 with a page per service and a one-step enquiry, 8 with prices or ranges and registration numbers shown, 10 with online booking or an instant priced quote.
• Email: visible capture only, as we did not subscribe test inboxes for this edition. 2 for a bare newsletter form, up to 10 for a loyalty or app ecosystem with personal offers.
• SEO: ten UK searches for this trade, run through a standard web search API on 22 October 2026 (not personalised, no location set beyond the town in the query); we counted how many returned the brand’s own site in the top ten results. 0 of 10 scores 2, 1 to 2 scores 4, 3 to 4 scores 6, 5 to 6 scores 8, 7 or more scores 10, plus 1 for a substantial advice library. The searches: MOT near me; MOT cost UK; car service cost UK; car service and MOT; new tyres fitted; car garage London; car garage Manchester; car garage Birmingham; car garage Leeds; car garage Bristol.
• Paid: the Google Ads Transparency Centre (UK, last 30 days, by domain) and the Meta Ad Library (UK, active ads whose text names the brand, counted by the advertiser page). 2 for nothing found in either, 4 for active in one with fewer than 10 ads, 6 for active in both or 10+ in one, 8 for active in both with 10+ in at least one, 10 for 50+ Google ads and 10+ Meta ads. Paid describes visible activity, not quality. A low paid score is not a fault.
• Reviews: a fixed formula. Rating (4.7+ scores 4, 4.5 to 4.69 scores 3, 4.0 to 4.49 scores 2, 3.5 to 3.99 scores 1) plus volume (10,000+ scores 4, 1,000+ scores 3, 100+ scores 2, 20+ scores 1) plus replies to the latest 20 reviews (half or more scores 2, some scores 1).
• Brand: five checks worth 2 each: the same name and logo everywhere, one clear positioning line, a distinctive asset used for years, three or more independent press mentions in 90 days, and named people or expertise on the site.

These anchors are fixed for this edition, so the ten scores can be read against each other. Boards published before October 2026 used scores relative to the other brands on the board, so compare across boards with care.

Common questions

Which garage brand scores highest on the Whito leaderboard?

Halfords Autocentres scores highest at 7.1 out of 10, ahead of Arnold Clark on 6.7 and Kwik Fit on 6.3. Halfords leads on email with a newsletter, customer account and Motoring Club, ran about 8,000 Google ads and 54 Meta ads, and was one of only two brands to appear in any of 10 UK searches.

Which garage brand scores lowest, and why?

Autoglass scores 4.1. Its homepage links no social profiles and captures no email, and it did not appear in any of 10 UK searches. Its reviews are strong, at 4.5 from 151,668 on Trustpilot, so the score reflects its own marketing channels, not its service.

How do these garage brands compare on reviews?

Ratings run from 2.7 for Bosch Car Service, whose profile has 31 reviews, to 4.8 for Mr Clutch. Protyre has the most reviews, 217,340, followed by Blackcircles on 204,831 and Arnold Clark on 196,681. Mr Clutch and Halfords each reply to 15 of their latest 20, while six of the ten reply to none.

What can a local garage copy from these brands?

Show your MOT and service prices next to the booking button, as Mr Clutch and F1 Autocentres do. Collect an email or mobile number for MOT reminders. Reply to every review. Build a page for each town you serve, since none of the ten appeared in any of the five town searches.

Do the big garage chains all advertise?

Yes. Eight of the ten ran more than 50 Google ads and 10 or more Meta ads in the period we checked, and the other two ran Google ads but no Meta ads from their own pages. Because nearly every brand advertises heavily, paid activity does little to separate them on this board.

Corrections and right of reply

If your business is scored here and you think we have a fact wrong, email hello@whito.co.uk. We check it against the source, correct it within five working days if we are wrong, and publish your statement alongside if you want us to. Scores are never changed for payment or because a business has claimed a Whito listing. Full route: corrections, right of reply and removals.

Related: all UK marketing leaderboards · Garages on Whito

Jacob Whitmore Founder and Lead Analyst

Jacob Whitmore founded Whito. He works on what UK businesses are actually charged for marketing, and on getting those numbers published with the date they were checked. His research on where search is heading is at jacobwhitmore.com.

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