Demand for mobile vehicle servicing is rising rapidly as electric vehicles (EV) change the economics of aftersales, with more routine maintenance now being carried out at drivers’ homes and workplaces.
New data from Fleet Assist shows mobile units now complete 21.3% of all electric car service, maintenance and repair (SMR) jobs, up from just 0.3% in 2022.
The fleet management specialist said the growth reflects the simpler servicing requirements of EVs, alongside increasing customer demand for the convenience of technicians visiting homes and workplaces.
Mobile servicing is also becoming more common for internal combustion engine vehicles.
The proportion of ICE car SMR jobs completed by mobile technicians has increased from 0.2% in 2022 to 7.6% this year, while the figure for electric light commercial vehicles has risen from 2.3% to 7.5%.
Mobile servicing network expansion
The trend has prompted Fleet Assist to expand its own mobile servicing network by more than 300 units during the first half of the year, taking its total to 900 vehicles and technicians.
The company expects that figure to exceed 1,200 by the end of 2026 as demand from leasing, rental and salary sacrifice customers continues to increase.
The expansion is also being supported by franchised and independent dealers, national service providers and vehicle manufacturers joining the network.
Nikos Kotrozos, Fleet Assist’s supply chain director, said the growth of EVs had helped make mobile servicing increasingly viable because the vehicles have fewer moving parts and generally require less time to service.
He said more fleet work direction policies now recommend mobile servicing for routine SMR work, helping to drive further demand.
Kotrozos added: “Obviously the bigger more complex SMR jobs or where the vehicle is not at a suitable location will be sent to a garage, but such is the demand that many garages are investing in putting their own mobile service vehicles on the road to expand their aftersales businesses.”
Fleet Assist is also helping garages launch mobile servicing operations by advising on vehicle specifications and supplying fully equipped service vans, alongside a finance package designed to support investment in mobile aftersales.
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