Garage mechanic hourly rate to hit £243 by 2033?

’Labour costs could skyrocket’, warns car repairs payment platform

Garage mechanic hourly rate to hit £243 by 2033?
Image: Bigstock.

A mechanic’s hourly rate could quadruple to £242.73 in ten years, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This is up from the current hourly rate of £60 and is based on a 15 percent year-on-year increase in the cost of running and maintaining personal transport. This comes as the Social Market Foundation (SMF), a cross-party think tank, warned of a skills shortfall among mechanics trained to work on EVs.

A snap poll of 1000 mechanics carried out by the car repairs payment platform Bumper, found that just 8 percent of mechanics feel properly equipped to service and repair electric vehicles (EVs).

By 2027 – three years ahead of the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars – there won’t be enough qualified mechanics to maintain the UK’s, with SMF predicting a shortfall of 25,000 technicians by 2030.

A report published by the SMF said: ”Formalised, professional and accredited training routes to prepare technicians for EV repair and maintenance are needed.”

James Jackson, CEO of Bumper, added: “It’s a very real possibility that we are looking down the barrel at a labour shortage crisis.

“If mechanics aren’t trained in electric vehicle maintenance in the coming years – an accredited training course would be the most logical solution for this – then car repair labour costs could skyrocket as a premium service, which it categorically shouldn’t be. If this becomes a reality, it will become incredibly difficult for the UK to meet its climate change goals when it comes to transport.

“What’s more alarming is that we are already seeing young motorists being priced out of repairs, with a 15 percent year-on-year rise no doubt contributing to one third of young drivers intentionally neglecting vehicle repairs due to cost.

”If only 8 percent of the UK’s mechanics are equipped to properly service and repair EVs, who’s to say how high the costs could rise?”

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