Silver Street Motors proves Ecobat Battery’s test every battery message

Bearing in mind the demands that batteries are under, particularly in more modern vehicles, and that they remain the root cause of many roadside breakdowns, Ecobat Battery, the UK’s largest battery distributor, has long championed the ‘test every battery’ message to independent workshops, not only as a means of tackling the problems, but also as a profit opportunity for their businesses.

One such independent that has responded to this challenge is Silver Street Motors in Tiverton, an active customer with Motor Parts Direct (MPD), which in turn, is a valued customer of Ecobat Battery.

At the beginning of the year, proprietor Steve Webber, and MPD’s Tiverton area Business Development Manager, Terry Back met with Ecobat Battery’s Andy Waite to begin a trial to put the principle into action and prove that it was not only a valuable service to Steve’s customers, but also the sales generator it promised.

The trial involved the provision of an Ecobat Battery EBT780 battery tester and some eye catching Lucas branded point of sale material, which, in addition to display posters, included interior mirror hanging battery test results cards that allowed customers to see the health of their vehicle’s battery. In turn, Steve and his team committed to test the condition of the battery of each vehicle that entered the workshop, irrespective of whether it was booked in for a battery related issue or not.

Three months later, Terry and Andy visited Steve to find out how he’d got on and were delighted, and indeed vindicated in their beneficial predictions, to find that the principle had helped with both building stronger customer relationships and growing battery sales.

“Although we never used to automatically test the condition of the battery when a vehicle came in, and I was initially a little sceptical that it would make much difference, I have to admit to it being a good idea,” Steve explained. “I guess like most workshops, I thought it was an unnecessary complication, but in practice the test takes only seconds and can be carried out while other work is being done, so it became an easy to adopt, hassle free step for the team to implement.

“When it comes to the benefits, there is no doubt that by being able to demonstrate to our customers that we’ve tested the battery and then show them from the printout whether it’s good, starting to decline or bad, is really good. It doesn’t mean that everyone with a dodgy or bad readout automatically goes for a replacement, but enough do to show that the number of batteries we sell has increased a lot compared to the same period last year, which is great.”

Commenting on the results of the trial for Ecobat Battery, Andy said: “Although we’re not at the frontline like Steve is, we knew from our research that around 30% of the vehicles that enter the independent workshop need either their batteries recharged or reconditioned, and around 10% need a replacement. So, we were confident that by putting a battery testing regime in place, Steve would see an increase in sales. Nevertheless, it’s reassuring to see the practice lived up to the theory!”

Having such a close eye on the battery market also allows Ecobat Battery to provide workshops such as Silver Street Motors, with information concerning market developments. For example, its sales data confirms the split between traditional SLI (starter, ignition and lights) and AGM/EFB batteries, which was 64%/36% at the end of 2024, is likely to be 50%/50% by next year.

“This kind of information is important because despite the fact that AGM/EFB batteries generally last 30 to 50% longer than an SLI battery, any reduction in quantity of battery replacements is likely to be mitigated by their higher average price, so revenue should remain unchanged,” Andy continued. “However, it also endorses our test every battery message so that workshops, like Steve’s, can continue to maximise their ongoing profit opportunities!”