Making Tracks: The Auto Repair Report
Our report provides a snapshot of the auto repair industry from the last 12 months.
Using FixMyCar data, we look at what’s happening in auto repair fuelled by driver behaviour.
Key Findings
Making Tracks: The Auto Repair Report analyses data from both drivers and garages using FixMyCar over the last 12 months to highlight the key trends driving auto repair.
EV servicing requests are on the rise for local garages. The number of electric vehicle repair and maintenance requests on FixMyCar grew by 98% in the last 12 months.
Quote values for core services have risen on average by 4% over the last year. MOT, full service, clutch replacement and cambelt & water pump repair quotes have all risen since 2023.
Speed of response to driver requests is critical to garage success. 63% of jobs are confirmed by drivers within the first hour of their request.
Technology is poised to revolutionise automotive, but drivers aren’t yet onboard. 72% of drivers still plan to purchase another petrol or diesel car, while 86% said they would not trust the safety of a self-driving car.
Drivers more eager than ever to understand their cars. The two most visited FixMyCar blogs, with over 40,000 website views each, discuss information about specific car models: Nissan Qashqai & Volkswagen Polo.
Auto Repair: A Pillar of the Automotive Industry
“The auto repair sector is undergoing significant change while facing a new generation of drivers who have different needs and expectations. This brings with it new barriers to overcome to maintain the sector’s historical strength.
Garages continue to battle against an unfortunate reputation for being unreliable in honesty and quality, a stereotype that is not reflective of the many hard-working garages we see and work with every day.
The fragmented nature of our sector has not helped to combat this stereotype. That said, more and more good garages are joining wider communities of approved, high-quality networks that better reflect the standards they commit themselves to.
This is something we at FixMyCar continue to strive for: a community of garages coming together to elevate the standards of our sector, rewrite its reputation, and deliver 100% customer satisfaction for all drivers.”
Amanda Webb – Interim CEO at FixMyCar
Advice from our Experts
Growing a successful auto repair business is no easy task in today’s climate, yet so many garages on our network do it well. We asked some of the garage and driver experts at FixMyCar for their best advice for garage owners based on the trends and insights they see day to day.
Matt Wrankmore – Head of Garage Network
“Garages are in the business of selling time with the addition of parts. Time is precious, so being accurate and efficient is how you maximise your output. Garage management systems or an online diary are key tools for unlocking your garage’s potential here. When used in 15-minute slots rather than an hour, you’ll give your garage more ramp time than standard hour slots while improving customer experience with a digital and convenient journey that customers expect to see from modern businesses. Invest in a tool or platform that will help you manage your time better and watch your revenue rise.”
Read more advice from our experts in our new report
Case Study
Evolve Garage
Based in Leicester
Joined FixMyCar November 2022
4.9* average driver rating
Problem:
Evolve Garage contacted FixMyCar for support with winning more work on the platform as they struggled to win jobs in their highly competitive area. We could see that Evolve Garage were missing out on work due to a lack of speed and quantity in their quoting.
Solution:
We advised them to quote more and faster on all job alerts they received rather than being more selective to ensure their garage was always in the mix for drivers to choose from.
Results:
After just two weeks of this approach, Evolve Garage saw an increase in the number of jobs they were winning. Their small but effective increase in reaction time to jobs being sent their way resulted in an additional three jobs won in those first two weeks. Maintaining this strategy has enabled Evolve Garage to see a steady increase in jobs won through FixMyCar, improving their monthly performance.
Learn more about how garages have enhanced their business with FixMyCar in our report.
Contact
For more information about Making Tracks: The Auto Repair Report and its findings, please contact [email protected]