Nine UK authority areas have no registered vehicle repair businesses employing a technician certified through the Institute of the Motor Industry’s TechSafe scheme, new data suggests.
Research by Scrap Car Comparison found substantial regional differences in access to businesses with registered EV-qualified technicians.
North Somerset, Pembrokeshire, Bridgend County Borough, North Ayrshire, Torfaen, Ceredigion, East Renfrewshire, Kirklees and Inverclyde all recorded zero qualifying businesses.
Newcastle upon Tyne led the ranking, with 79.3% of its registered vehicle repair businesses employing at least one TechSafe-certified technician.
The study found that more than 6,100 automotive businesses nationally had at least one technician certified under the scheme.
Newcastle tops EV skills ranking
Bath and North East Somerset ranked second, with registered EV technicians present at 74.6% of its vehicle repair businesses.
Brighton and Hove placed third at 64.7%, followed by Flintshire at 60% and Torbay at 47%.
Derby was the only other area where more than four in 10 repair businesses employed a registered EV technician, recording 43.1%.
Scrap Car Comparison said the transition to electric vehicles was increasing the need for repair businesses to develop the skills required to work safely with high-voltage systems.
Although technicians are not legally required to obtain EV certification before carrying out repairs, some manufacturers may require appropriately trained technicians to maintain vehicle warranty protection.
Regional repair gaps persist
Bedford had the lowest level of TechSafe representation among areas recording at least one qualifying business, at 0.4%.
North Lincolnshire recorded 0.5%, while North East Lincolnshire and Carmarthenshire each registered 0.6%.
Only four of North Northamptonshire’s 516 vehicle repair businesses employed a registered EV technician, representing 0.8%.
Matt Clamp, customer service manager at Scrap Car Comparison, said: “Adoption of electric vehicles among car owners has increased hugely in recent years, with schemes such as the Electric Car Grant only likely to support this increase further. Though the infrastructure for EVs has improved, with charging points now much more accessible, there’s clearly still a way to go before it’s easy to access the services of an EV-safe specialist.”
“Though this isn’t a legal requirement, some vehicle manufacturers will require their owners to use technicians with the appropriate qualifications to help maintain the vehicle warranty. Similarly, there’s an ongoing risk to business owners and technicians if they’re working on vehicles without being properly educated on the risks and how to mitigate them.
“Many EV owners may not be aware that these certifications exist for mechanics, but it’s always worth double-checking with a garage before booking your vehicle in for repairs or maintenance.”
The research compared active Companies House businesses registered for motor vehicle maintenance and repair with businesses employing at least one IMI TechSafe-certified EV technician.
Only local authorities containing more than 20 vehicle repair businesses were included in the final ranking.
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