Nearly 9 in 10 Independent Garages Turn Away EV Work as Diagnostic Access Bites

Nearly nine in ten independent garages have turned away or referred electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle work during the past six months, as concerns grow over access to the diagnostics and technical information needed to repair increasingly complex vehicles.

The findings come from the first LKQ Euro Car Parts Plug In-Dex, a new tracker examining how independent garages are adapting to the transition towards electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Despite significant investment by garages in EV training, equipment and skills, more than one in four workshops say concerns about obtaining diagnostic access for newer EV brands are discouraging them from investing further.

The research suggests the challenge facing the independent aftermarket is no longer simply whether garages are willing to prepare for electric vehicles.

Increasingly, it is whether technicians can access the manufacturer-controlled data, diagnostics and technical information required to actually complete the repair.

Nearly nine in ten garages have referred or rejected EV work

According to the inaugural Plug In-Dex, nearly nine in ten independent garages have turned away or referred at least one EV or plug-in hybrid enquiry during the previous six months.

That doesn’t necessarily mean those workshops are incapable of working safely on electric vehicles.

LKQ says independent garages have already invested significantly in the training, skills and equipment required to support the transition.

Instead, access to vehicle information is emerging as an important obstacle.

Some 27% of garages identified concerns over diagnostic access for newer EV brands as a barrier to further investment, making it the most commonly cited factor.

That creates a potentially frustrating situation for workshops.

A garage can invest in technician training, high-voltage equipment and diagnostic tools, but that investment becomes considerably less valuable if the business cannot access the information or systems required to diagnose and complete particular jobs.

Garages expect EV enquiries to increase rapidly

The issue is likely to become more important rather than disappear.

LKQ’s research found 83% of garages expect electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to account for the majority of workshop enquiries within five years.

That would represent a major change in the type of work reaching independent repairers.

For garages considering whether to invest further in EV capability, access to repair information therefore becomes an important part of the business case.

Training technicians and buying equipment represents a substantial commitment.

Garages need confidence that after making that investment they will actually be able to complete enough jobs to generate a return.

Modern cars increasingly depend on manufacturer-controlled data

Vehicle repair has changed substantially as cars have become more electronically complex.

Mechanical diagnosis remains important, but many modern faults also require access to digital information, software, fault codes, security systems and manufacturer-specific procedures.

That applies to combustion-engine vehicles as well as EVs, but the rapid arrival of new electric vehicle brands and increasingly software-controlled vehicles is bringing the issue into sharper focus.

Independent workshops may need manufacturer information before they can accurately identify faults, programme components or complete certain repairs.

Where that access is unavailable, complicated or commercially impractical, referring the vehicle elsewhere can become the only realistic option.

For the garage, that means lost workshop revenue.

For the motorist, it can mean fewer choices about where their vehicle is repaired.

Drivers could pay hundreds of millions more

LKQ argues that restricted access could ultimately have significant consequences for motorists.

Its supporting analysis estimates that if UK plug-in vehicle owners were pushed towards more expensive franchised dealers for routine servicing, maintenance and repair, they could collectively spend at least £260 million more across a single round of servicing.

Depending on the difference between franchised dealer and independent garage servicing prices, LKQ estimates that figure could reach £550 million.

Published comparisons used in its analysis suggest a routine service can cost between £80 and £170 more through a franchised dealer.

The figures should be treated as estimates rather than actual additional costs already being incurred.

Nevertheless, they demonstrate the potential financial implications if independent garages increasingly find themselves unable to compete for EV servicing and repair work.

Why access to repair data matters

The independent aftermarket has traditionally provided motorists with an alternative to manufacturer franchised networks once vehicles move through their lives.

That competition can help motorists obtain multiple repair quotes and choose a workshop based on location, price, reputation and existing relationships.

LKQ says seven in ten motorists prefer independent workshops.

The wider independent aftermarket supports more than 40,000 workshops and 345,000 jobs across the UK, according to the company.

Maintaining effective access to modern vehicle information is therefore about more than individual garages losing occasional jobs.

It could ultimately determine whether independent repairers can continue competing effectively as Britain’s vehicle fleet becomes increasingly connected, electrified and software-controlled.

SERMI has now gone live in the UK

One attempt to address part of the vehicle-information problem is SERMI – the Security-Related Vehicle Repair and Maintenance Information scheme.

SERMI officially went live in Great Britain on 1 April 2026 following years of campaigning by the independent aftermarket.

The scheme provides approved independent garages and technicians with a recognised route to access security-related repair and maintenance information from participating vehicle manufacturers.

That can include information required for jobs involving areas such as keys, immobilisers and security-related electronic systems.

For qualifying independent repairers, it represents an important change.

Previously, obtaining security-related manufacturer information could involve multiple individual systems and approval processes.

SERMI is designed to provide a standardised method of verifying legitimate independent repair businesses and technicians.

But UK manufacturer participation remains voluntary

There is an important difference between the British and European SERMI systems.

SERMI has operated across the European Union since late 2023 and participation is mandatory under the relevant EU framework.

In Great Britain, manufacturer participation remains voluntary.

A number of major vehicle manufacturers have joined the British scheme, but the voluntary approach means not every manufacturer is required to use the same system.

Independent repairers may therefore still encounter separate manufacturer processes, approvals and associated costs depending on the vehicles they work on.

LKQ is calling for SERMI to become mandatory in Britain.

The company argues that doing so would provide manufacturers, garages and motorists with a more consistent framework while maintaining the security controls required around sensitive vehicle information.

SERMI doesn’t solve the entire EV diagnostic problem

There is another important distinction for garages.

SERMI relates specifically to security-related repair and maintenance information.

It isn’t a universal gateway giving workshops unrestricted access to every piece of diagnostic or technical data required to repair an electric vehicle.

LKQ itself acknowledges that EVs present broader repair-data challenges that fall outside SERMI.

That means making SERMI mandatory would not, by itself, solve every information-access issue facing independent workshops.

But the scheme demonstrates how manufacturers and independent repairers can potentially use a common, secure framework to provide verified technicians with controlled access to sensitive information.

The wider question for the aftermarket is whether similar principles will be required as vehicle diagnostics become increasingly dependent on manufacturer-controlled digital systems.

The issue is particularly important for newer EV brands

The rapid arrival of new vehicle manufacturers creates another challenge.

The UK car market has changed significantly in only a few years, particularly with the arrival of additional electric and hybrid brands.

For an independent garage, supporting a familiar vehicle parc built around a relatively stable group of manufacturers is one thing.

Supporting a growing number of new brands – each potentially using different diagnostic systems, technical information portals, security procedures and component architectures – is considerably more complicated.

That can make the cost and complexity of obtaining access an increasingly important consideration when deciding which vehicles a workshop is prepared to accept.

This is particularly relevant as today’s newly registered EVs eventually move away from franchised dealer servicing and into the independent aftermarket.

Garages aren’t standing still on EVs

One of the most important messages from the Plug In-Dex is that the problem shouldn’t simply be characterised as independent garages refusing to adapt.

LKQ says workshops have already invested heavily in EV skills, training and equipment.

Andy Southby, Chief Commercial Officer at LKQ UK & Ireland, said garages can only realise a return on those investments if they can access the data, diagnostics and technical information required to do their jobs.

That distinction matters.

Technician competence remains crucial when working with high-voltage vehicles, and garages should never undertake work for which staff are not appropriately trained or equipped.

But training alone doesn’t guarantee that a repair can be completed.

A suitably trained technician can still be prevented from completing a job if the workshop cannot access the manufacturer’s diagnostic or technical systems.

What does this mean for MOT Testing Stations?

For MOT Testing Stations, the immediate effect is more limited because the MOT itself is a prescribed inspection rather than a diagnostic or servicing procedure.

But many MOT Testing Stations also operate repair and servicing workshops.

For those businesses, the distinction between the MOT and subsequent repair work is increasingly important.

A tester may identify a defect during an MOT, but repairing that defect on a modern vehicle can involve diagnostic procedures or manufacturer information outside the scope of the test.

As more EVs and plug-in hybrids enter the MOT parc, stations that also undertake repairs will need to decide which work they can safely and commercially keep in-house and which jobs require specialist support or referral.

The growth of electric vehicles therefore affects MOT businesses even where the statutory test itself remains largely technology-neutral.

Independent garages face an important investment decision

The transition to EVs presents independent garages with a difficult investment calculation.

On one side is a rapidly changing vehicle parc.

More EVs and hybrids will require servicing, tyres, suspension work, braking repairs, air-conditioning work, diagnostics and eventually more substantial drivetrain and battery repairs.

On the other is the cost of preparing for that work.

Garages need trained technicians, appropriate safety equipment, diagnostic capability and access to reliable technical information.

If workshops are uncertain whether they will be able to access the manufacturer systems necessary to complete repairs, further investment becomes harder to justify.

The finding that 27% of garages identify diagnostic access as a barrier therefore deserves particular attention.

The aftermarket’s EV challenge is changing

For several years, the debate around independent garages and electric vehicles has concentrated heavily on technician training.

That remains important.

But the first LKQ Euro Car Parts Plug In-Dex suggests the next challenge is already emerging.

Independent garages may increasingly have the technicians and equipment needed to work on electric vehicles but still find themselves unable to complete some repairs because of restrictions, complexity or uncertainty surrounding access to vehicle information.

With 83% of garages expecting EVs and plug-in hybrids to account for most workshop enquiries within five years, this is unlikely to remain a niche issue.

The independent aftermarket’s ability to compete in an increasingly electrified vehicle parc may ultimately depend not only on whether technicians know how to repair the cars – but whether they are given practical access to the information required to do it.

External resources

• LKQ Euro Car Parts – Plug In-Dex research
  LKQ – Diagnostic access concerns hold back garage EV investment
• SERMI UK – Scheme now live for independent garages
  SERMI – Scheme goes live for UK independent garages
• SERMI UK – Participating vehicle manufacturers
  SERMI – Participating vehicle manufacturers
• Competition and Markets Authority – Motor Vehicle Agreements guidance
  GOV.UK – CMA guidance on motor vehicle agreements
• Department for Transport – Repair and maintenance information requirements
  GOV.UK – Access to vehicle repair and maintenance information