Newcastle named UK’s best city for EV repair access
New research has revealed that drivers face a postcode lottery when it comes to finding a fully trained mechanic to carry out EV repairs.
Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s garages are leading the UK in ensuring their technicians are trained to carry out EV repairs. The North-East city has a higher proportion of garages with at least one certified EV technician than any other area of the country, with 79% of the area’s vehicle repair shops home to at least one.
The data was published by Scrap Car Comparison, which looked into the UK’s best and worst regions for EV-safe repair firms and found huge geographical disparities.
While it’s not a legal requirement for UK mechanics to be EV-certified, some EV repairs require special knowledge and training to carry out safely. Many electric car manufacturers require technicians to be correctly trained to maintain vehicle warranties, and should a mechanic not be EV-trained, both they and their employer also risk losing their insurance policies.
This is especially important, given that UK EV adoption continues to grow and more and more EVs reach the end of their standard manufacturer warranties. In November this year, EVs accounted for more than half of all new car sales and took a 26.4% market share, while the used EV market saw sales climb by 44.4%.
Scrap Car Comparison’s research examined 40 local authority areas across the UK to see what proportion of repair businesses had at least one IMI-certified EV technician. It found a massive gap between the best and worst-prepared regions, leaving some EV owners in “repair blackspots”.
Bath and North East Somerset finished fractionally behind Newcastle upon Tyne, with 75% of workshops staffed with at least one EV-certified technician, while Brighton and Hove scored 65% in third. Flintshire and Torbay rounded out the top five with 47% and 43% respectively.
At the other end of the scale, 11 UK regions lack any EV-qualified repair shops. Those areas with no IMI-certified staff include Kirklees, North Ayrshire, Inverclyde, North Somerset, Bedford, Bridgend County Borough, and North Lincolnshire.
North East Lincolnshire, Carmarthenshire, North Northamptonshire, Stockton-on-Tees, and the Isle of Wight fared marginally better on 1% each. East Sussex, Milton Keynes, Leicestershire, and Hartlepool rounded out ‘the best of the worst’ areas, with 2% of all garages in each region staffed with qualified mechanics.
On the back of the findings, Scrap Car Comparison customer service manager, Matt Clamp, commented: “Though most garages will likely repair EVs, the data shows that in reality, many may not have the appropriate certifications for handling vehicles with high-voltage electrical systems.
“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.”
