UK's small garages face extinction as costs and competition surge
Has your local garage - one you've taken your car to for years to be serviced, MOT tested and repaired - suddenly closed down?
It shouldn't come as a shock, according to Auto Express.
It says small independent garages face tremendous difficulties as a cocktail of factors are going against them - and they're destined to be doomed as a result.
Following an investigation into the sector, it said independent garages will begin disappearing from Britain's towns and cities due to a 'perfect storm of rising costs, an ageing workforce, shifting consumer demand and the accelerating transition to electric vehicles'.
Gen Z's growing preference for Netflix-style, on-demand car repairs is also bringing a new threat to the viability of thousands of these smaller businesses that have kept our vehicles on the road for decades.
It said garages are 'under increasing strain,' with nine in 10 saying rising operating costs are now their biggest challenge, driven by increases in wages, energy bills and business rates.
It comes after Daily Mail and This is Money warned drivers to brace themselves for rising repair costs in 2026 as a result of a shortage of mechanics, inflated parts costs and increasing operating bills.
Local garages being shuttered by the EV transition
One of the biggest issues for smaller garages is the lack of qualified mechanics to work on battery electric and hybrid cars.
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has in recent years been warning of a shortfall of technicians with the required qualifications to work on these vehicles, which are becoming increasingly popular.
Its latest report towards the end of last year found that just one in four UK mechanics are accredited to work on EVs.
Without a significant acceleration in training, the gap between the number of EV-trained technicians and those required will 'widen dangerously in the next five to ten years,' it says.
IMI forecasts that the number of EV-qualified technicians rising over the next decade to reach around 137,000 by 2032 and 193,000 by 2035. However, demand is expected to grow faster than new certifications, with the gap between supply and demand currently set to widen sharply in the early 2030s.
Shortfalls are due to emerge from 2033 onwards and increasing year-on-year, reaching more than 44,000 technicians by 2035.
A workforce crisis
What is compounding problems for local garages is a workforce crisis.
There are currently 19,000 vacancies across the sector, while 47 per cent of technicians are over 45 and 144,000 are expected to retire by 2032.
A survey of 220 UK garages by ClickMechanic earlier this year said there is now a nationwide struggle recruiting the next generation of car technicians, which is putting the industry's future at risk.
Seven in ten garages told the study that recruiting mechanics under the age of 25 has become difficult, while more than a third describe attracting a younger profile of staff is now 'very difficult'.
This is because three quarters of respondents believe the automotive repair industry has become less attractive to young people over the past five years due to an assumption of low pay, long hours and arduous work.
At the same time, apprenticeships remain relatively uncommon across much of the sector.
Existing mechanics are also growing increasingly concerned they will be forced to delay their own retirement as a result of ongoing financial pressures linked to running businesses.
If the current shortage continues, mechanics believe it could have significant consequences for motorists in the years ahead.
Two-thirds believe repair costs will rise, while a third warn that pressure on workshops could increase the risk of rushed or poor-quality repairs.
Greater preference for at-home repairs
At the same time, services such as the RAC mobile mechanic are offering home repairs within 24 and 48 hours.
With 300 technicians already on the road and ambitions to grow to 1,600, the model removes the overheads of a physical workshop and targets the high-volume, routine jobs that have traditionally sustained independent garages.
And it seems the service is likely to be popular with drivers too; a quarter of motorists polled by Carwow say they would pay more for a mechanic to come to their home for MOTs and simple repairs and one in 16 (6 per cent) said they don't like going to garages.
Manufacturers are also tightening their grip on aftersales, using service plans and extended warranties to keep customers within franchised dealer networks.
Less than a third of motorists say they feel confident when dealing with independent garage. with Carwow finding that many drivers prefer the reassurance of using established brands such as manufacturers or national providers over local businesses.
With garages facing significant increases to business rates and energy bills on top of financial implications of funding qualifications, attracting more mechanics and upgrading equipment to work on EVs, the likelihood is that many local garages will cut their losses and shutter.
'For the UK's 30,000 independent garages - the backbone of the country's servicing network - this is a perfect storm of rising costs, skills shortages and intensifying competition,' he said.
'The result is that independent garages are being squeezed from both ends. The routine work that sustained them is moving elsewhere, while the jobs left behind are more complex and costly than ever - particularly when it comes to EVs, where investment and specialist skills are critical.
'For some of the smallest operators, that investment may simply be out of reach.
'Unless they're able to specialise or find a niche, there is a real risk that many could be priced out of the sector altogether, leaving larger chains and franchised dealers to dominate EV servicing and repair.'
He adds: 'Without the steady income from everyday servicing, many smaller operators risk being priced out of the market altogether.'
