The inaugural championship began on 17 May 1947 at Bo'ness, near Linlithgow, Scotland, and comprised five events that year. Raymond Mays won both the 1947 and 1948 titles, demonstrating the continuity between pre-war and post-war hillclimbing talent. Sydney Allard took the 1949 title in a self-built Steyr-Allard.
Through the 1950s, Cooper-JAP machinery dominated. Ken Wharton became the only driver in BHC history to win four consecutive titles. Tony Marsh then achieved two hat-tricks of championships, winning in 1955–1957 and again in 1965–1967 — a combined total of six titles that stands as the joint record. David Boshier-Jones also claimed back-to-back crowns during this period.
The 1960s introduced four-wheel-drive cars to the top of the entry lists, with Peter Westbury winning two championships in such machinery. From the mid-1970s the Pilbeam chassis became the dominant force, winning 18 of the 22 championships between 1977 and 1998. Roy Lane took his first title in 1975, beginning a long career at the top of the sport. The Gould marque began to challenge in the 1980s when Chris Cramer won the 1985 title, and from 1998 onward Gould drivers have dominated almost uninterrupted.
David Grace won three consecutive championships as the century turned, driving a Gould. Graeme Wight Jr dominated in 2001, becoming the first driver to break the 25-second barrier at Shelsley Walsh. Adam Fleetwood's 2004 season stands as one of the most statistically dominant in BHC history: he won 28 of 34 rounds, broke hill records across the country, and became the first person to climb Shelsley Walsh in under 24 seconds. Martin Groves followed with three straight titles from 2005 to 2007.
Scott Moran has since become the most prolific winner in the championship's history, recording 163 individual run-off victories — more than any other driver — and matching Tony Marsh's record of six championships. His Gould GR61X has accumulated over 170 run-off wins, making it the most successful car in the competition's history.
Trevor Willis provided the only interruption to Gould supremacy in the modern era, winning in 2012 with an OMS 25 powered by a twin-Hayabusa V8, then repeating with an updated OMS 28 in 2017 and 2018.
Wallace Menzies won the 2019 title driving a Gould GR59 with a 3.3-litre Cosworth-derived V8, becoming only the second Scottish champion in BHC history after Graeme Wight Jr.
Events typically attract more than 150 competitors, though not all are entered for the BHC itself. Those who are eligible and record a time in the top twelve compete in a run-off at the end of each set of class runs — usually two such sets per event day. In the run-off, drivers tackle the hill in reverse order of their qualifying times, so the fastest qualifier goes last. Ten points go to the fastest time in a run-off, reducing by one point per position to tenth place; no points are awarded from eleventh onward. An additional point is available to any run-off competitor who breaks the outright hill record as it stood at the start of that day.
From 2022, drivers compete in up to 30 run-offs but may count only their 24 best results toward the final standings, preventing a perfect score from eliminating meaningful competition for lower-finishing drivers.
The championship rotates among a core group of permanent hillclimb venues, many of which have hosted rounds continuously since the 1947 inaugural season. Regular venues include Shelsley Walsh, Prescott, Harewood, Loton Park, Gurston Down, Wiscombe Park, Doune, Craigantlet, Bouley Bay, and Val des Terres. Many other venues have hosted rounds over the decades, including Barbon, Bo'ness, Rest and Be Thankful, and Longleat.
The 2020 season was cancelled entirely. Early pandemic restrictions prevented any events, and when partial plans were drawn up for a shortened summer calendar, the withdrawal of Prescott from the British Championship rounds prompted organisers to abandon the season and redirect efforts toward 2021. The 2021 season resumed under sponsorship from Avon Tyres and was won by reigning champion Wallace Menzies.
The BHC occupies a unique place in British motorsport as a discipline open to machinery ranging from production saloons to bespoke single-seat hillclimb specials capable of sub-24-second runs at Shelsley Walsh. Its unbroken record from 1947 — disrupted only by the 2020 pandemic cancellation — reflects the resilience of the hillclimb community and the distinctive culture of its venues, many of which are privately owned and integral to the sport's identity. All British Hillclimb Champions have been British nationals.