The cost of car servicing and repairs could rise by 30%, and up to 40,000 independent businesses could go bust following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, a leading independent academic has advised the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI).
If that occurred the impact on the fleet industry would be huge with many company-owned, leased and rented vehicles undergoing service, maintenance and repair (SMR) work in the independent sector.
Professor Jim Saker of Loughborough University has told the IMI, the professional association for individuals working in the motor industry, that many of the 500,000 jobs and businesses in the sector it represents would be at risk.
Based on Professor Saker’s predictions the IMI estimates that the price increase for servicing alone would be an average of £100 per year. But it has also forecast that there would also be additional cost for repairs and a knock on rise in insurance premiums.
According to Professor Saker, the main issue comes from the loss of the European Union Block Exemption Regulation which force motor manufacturers to share vehicle information with the independent sector. Without the ‘Right to Repair’ scheme, he believes that manufacturers will not share information on new cars if they don’t have to, making it impossible for independent garages to maintain their businesses.