EVs creating revenue gap for UK workshops, as ICE vehicles remain the aftermarkets backbone

New analysis from Auto Data solutions (ADS) has highlighted the financial reality facing UK garages and workshops as EV uptake continues to grow. According to research, EVs generate around £175 less per vehicle per year in workshop revenue than their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts.

BM Catalysts has long maintained the notion that ICE vehicles remain the beating heart of the aftermarket and recent analysis reinforces this.

The shortfall in revenue of £210 million across the industry is driven by a straightforward mechanical reality. EVs have significantly fewer serviceable wear and tear components. No oil changes, fewer consumables and reduced mechanical wear means fewer visits to garages and workshops. The result of this means a shift away from predictable, recurring servicing income that workshops have traditionally relied upon.

Research undertaken by ADS makes clear that this is not a temporary fluctuation. It is a long-term structural change to the landscape of the aftermarket. Despite this, the vehicle car parc remains overwhelmingly dominated by ICE vehicles, ensuring millions of petrol and diesel cars will continue to require regularly maintenance, replacement parts and emissions components, with no sign of this diminishing any time soon.

Mark Blinston, Commercial Director at BM Catalysts said: “The data from ADS confirms what we see in the market every day.”

The conversation around electrification can sometimes create a false impression that the ICE aftermarket is already in retreat. It simply isn’t.” 

The vast majority of vehicles on UK roads today run on petrol or diesel, and workshops that serve those vehicles need reliable, high-quality parts they can depend on. BM Catalysts is here to make sure they have exactly that.”  He added.