By the Roadside: A Mechanic’s View on the EV Surge

From the perspective of an independent garage, the news of September’s record electric car sales is less a cause for celebration and more a sign of a looming, fundamental shift in the nature of work. While headlines focus on showrooms, the real long-term impact of this surge will be felt by the roadside and in the workshop.
For every one of the 72,800 new battery EVs sold, that’s one less car that will ever need an oil change, a new exhaust, or a clutch replacement. These have been the bread and butter of local mechanics for decades. The 56% rise in plug-in hybrids also signals a change, introducing complex systems that blend high-voltage electronics with traditional engines, requiring a whole new set of diagnostic skills and safety protocols.
This surge accelerates a future that many small garages are not yet equipped for. The investment in high-voltage training, specialized tools, and diagnostic software for dozens of different EV brands is substantial. For a small business owner already dealing with tight margins, the prospect of having to completely re-skill and re-tool to service this new wave of vehicles is daunting.
The government’s subsidy is effectively fast-forwarding the car parc’s transition. While this is good for climate targets, there has been no equivalent “grant” to help the thousands of mechanics across the country prepare for the consequences. The policy is creating a wave of new-technology vehicles without ensuring the after-sales support network is ready to handle them.
So, while the SMMT and government officials celebrate the sales figures, the view from the workshop floor is one of profound and rapid change. The hum of these new electric cars on the road is the sound of an approaching revolution for the entire automotive service industry.