A comprehensive survey conducted by Fleet Assist in the UK has found that rising costs and technician availability are still the biggest concerns of independent garages. 

Almost nine out of ten garage owners said they were worried about increased overheads and attracting quality staff. The survey also found that garages were concerned about a reduction in chargeable work as EVs become more prominent. 

80% of garages of the 5200 garages surveyed said that more than two thirds of their workforce are men with only one garage saying their workforce breakdown was equal. With regard to employee age 70% are aged between 25 and 60 years old while just over 23% of technicians are 24 or under. 

With the advancement of connected vehicles and wider integration options becoming available there was a general feeling amongst garages that technology will increase efficiency levels whilst reducing time wastage such as work rejections.

The survey also revealed a level of concern over the growing number of systems garages are being asked to access which is adding to overhead costs. Meanwhile, garages said they felt confident in accessing ‘OEM Secure Gateways’ mainly due to having the right diagnostics partners.