Britain is heading towards a significant shortage of mechanics trained to service electric vehicles, raising concerns that the country’s transition to cleaner transport could outpace the workforce needed to support it.
New analysis from the Institute of the Motor Industry suggests the UK could be short of 44,000 EV-qualified technicians by the time petrol and diesel car production is phased out, under current government targets.
While ministers have reaffirmed plans to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035, only around a quarter of the UK’s mechanics are currently trained to work on electric cars. The gap between policy ambition and workforce readiness is widening, particularly among smaller independent garages.
A key concern is the uneven distribution of EV expertise. A disproportionate number of qualified technicians are employed by larger national chains such as Kwik-Fit, which have the scale and resources to invest in training and benefit from servicing contracts with corporate EV fleets.
By contrast, many smaller, independent garages, which make up a large part of the UK’s automotive repair network, remain hesitant to invest in EV training. Owners cite a lack of local demand, high training costs and uncertainty over the pace of the transition.
Support authors and subscribe to content
This is premium stuff. Subscribe to read the entire article.
