Younger aftersales customers favour self-service over speaking to service staff
71% of car owners aged 25-34 would prefer to use a digital self-service kiosk to report any issues and leave their keys, rather than wait to speak to a service advisor
43% of those favouring the self-service route cite queues as the main reason
Among the youngest car owners wanting a self-service option, 50% say they don’t always feel comfortable speaking with aftersales staff
67% of car owners prefer to be notified about a scheduled service, repair or dealer update via email
A significant majority of younger car owners would rather use a self-service kiosk than wait to speak to a service advisor when checking in their car, according to a new nationwide survey commissioned by Tjekvik. While 35% of UK car owners as a whole would favour the self-service option, that proportion jumps to 71% among those aged 25 to 34, and 60% of those aged 18 to 24.
Persistent queues are the primary reason for car owners to favour self-service solutions when checking in their car at a dealer aftersales department. 43% of respondents cite ‘avoiding queues’ as the main reason, compared to 31% because it would give ‘greater flexibility about when I can drop-off and collect my vehicle’, and 18% because it ‘would give me more time to provide information and select options’.
Just 7% of those who want aftersales self-service options say it is because ‘I don’t always feel comfortable speaking with aftersales staff’. However, this proportion jumps to 50% among those aged between 18 to 24, the highest of any age group.
Greater demand for digital-first communications
Tjekvik’s survey also found that most aftersales customers prefer to be notified about a scheduled service, repair or dealer update via digital means, with 67% preferring to be contacted by email. Those wishing to be contacted by SMS stood at 48%, 32% via mobile or landline, and 23% via app notification. Just 15% would rather be notified in person when visiting their dealer or workshop.
When asked: “What information would you like to receive via email or SMS as work is being done on your car?”, over three quarters (78%) would like to be notified when work on their vehicle has been completed. 64% would like to hear about any unexpected or additional repairs that are either required or recommended, while 63% would like to be sent details about collecting their vehicle, and 42% would like to be sent a link to view a video of their vehicle’s health check.
More customers today are using digital self-service than ever before, with nearly 1.5 million customers in the UK and Ireland using Tjekvik technologies to check in their vehicles from home in the first eight months of 2026, a 19% increase over last year. Meanwhile, 723,795 customers used Tjekvik’s in-showroom touchscreen kiosks to check in their vehicles, 26% more than the previous year.
Martin Nørgaard Høgh, CEO at Tjekvik, said: “Digital solutions are playing an increasingly important role in the daily running of dealerships. By combining digital convenience with the expertise of their aftersales teams, dealers can deliver a more flexible and customer-focused experience to a wide range of age groups with varied expectations.”