Even with EV sales falling over the last year, the numbers on UK roads continue to grow. The transition to non-internal combustion engine vehicles presents a challenge for independents who rely on regularly servicing vehicles as their backbone of work.
But it can also represent an opportunity. While we all know EVs have far fewer greasy, oily, moving parts, they have their own unique sets of maintenance needs. Understanding these will be crucial for garages looking to stay relevant in the future.
The unique needs of EVs
Batteries are the heart of every EV, and they’re the most critical and expensive component. Maintaining battery health is the most important thing to ensure longevity and performance of any EV. And this is where independents can come in.
Battery diagnostics
Just like plugging in a laptop to diagnose faults is an everyday thing with a modern ICE vehicle, the health of an EV can be gauged the same way. Offering yearly battery health checks alongside the standard old MOT can help put drivers’ minds at rest, or potentially pick up any degradation before it becomes a big problem.
Checking the capacity and voltage balance across the pack can help early detection. 12v battery checks are also worth carrying out. There have been countless times when spurious EV errors or even being left stranded has been put down to a 12v aux battery on its way out. Replacing these long before they start dying is key to trouble-free EV motoring.
Coolant checks
Many EV owners don’t realise what a big part coolant and cooling sub-systems play in their cars. From keeping their pack cool during rapid charging and making sure it stays warm in frigid winter temperatures to the cabin heating and AC. Coolant checks are another service to offer when it comes to MOT time, checking the levels and topping up, if necessary, with the specialist coolant that many EVs take.
Brake inspections
With EVs utilising regenerative braking to suck up some extra range, brakes often get minimal use, especially on vehicles that are driven infrequently.
Checking discs for corrosion and pads for degradation is still vitally important and worth explaining to EV drivers. It’s also worth offering it as part of an ‘EV annual check’; the same goes for regular brake fluid checks.
Software updates
Quite a few manufacturers opt for over-the-air software updates for ease, but there are still cases where vehicles need to be bought into dealerships to be updated. These can be for motor, battery or other sensitive systems that are too risky for some marques to update wirelessly.
Independents that can offer these services, either remotely via a third party or through other specialist independents that operate mobile services, give the ability to check current software levels and maybe even upsell the update as a service, covering the labour time. This can be another way to generate revenue.
Tyre pressures and alignment
Correct tyre pressure and wheel alignment can cost valuable range. The vast majority of drivers rarely check their tyre pressures, let alone think about alignment.
Educating your customers on the importance of this and offering a monthly or quarterly 15-minute appointment to check pressures and uneven tyre wear can help build trust and keep a customer coming back.
The same goes for packaging up wheel alignment into an annual EV check package, similar to a service.
Getting ahead of the curve
Rather than the yearly servicing and maintenance currently carried out on ICE vehicles, start to think about how you can offer ‘preventative checks’ for EV customers – the benefits, why their cars need to be checked, how important battery health is and the benefits of looking after their vehicles in terms of range and longevity.
There are a few other things, though, that you can start to implement or consider in the next year or two.
Invest in training and certification
Having great people with great skills will always set you apart from the competition, so invest in the proper training. Ensure your techs are knowledgeable about EV-specific systems, high voltage safety and diagnostic procedures. Sometimes, this might be via third parties, or it could well be direct with manufacturers. Either way, it pays to have the skills in-house.
Upgrade your diagnostic equipment
When did you last update your diag gear? If you can, then look at upgrading to the latest diagnostic systems that cover the most common EV models, think Tesla, Audi etc. And if you can’t, there are plenty of remote diagnostic providers who will be able to cover every marque.
Implement strict safety procedures
Working on EVs can be dangerous. The high voltages and amps running through components are lethal. So if you have the space and want to become known for EV work, invest in a dedicated EV ramp with strict PPE like non-conductive flooring, barriers to stop people wandering near live high voltage and implementing a tag in/out procedure.

Offering EV-specific services
While there are a lot less greasy parts to change when it comes to EVs, you can still package up everything we’ve spoken about above into a yearly ‘service’. But call it something like an ‘Annual EV Check’.
This could include:
- Battery health report
- 12v Battery health check
- Fault code checks
- Cooling system check
- Brake checks
- Suspension checks
- Tyre condition / pressure checks
- Wheel alignment check
- Software version / update check
As EVs age, you’ll likely pick up work by carrying out the above checks, so don’t be inclined to try and price it as you would traditional servicing. The more cost-effective you can make it, the more likely EV drivers will go for a ‘yearly check-up’ and the more customers you can add to your books, which in turn will add to revenue. But the annual check shouldn’t necessarily be seen as an income generator. Start the transition as early as you can to add EV owners to your books before others do.
EVs are a big ‘value-add’ market too, offering wiper blade changes, fob batteries, washer fluid top ups, headlight alignment, and potentially even bulb upgrades. You can even tie in customers with a service plan by offering a discount on their ‘annual EV check’ by signing up for two or three years in advance. Lastly, partner with a third-party warranty provider that covers EVs; most specialists now cover vehicles up to 10 and even 12 years old; for each sign-up, you’ll earn a fee.

The EV switch isn’t about survival. Yet.
The EV switch is happening, and while e-fules could extend the life of ICE vehicles, the EV mix in the UK car parc is only going to increase as time marches on. For independents, the change isn’t necessarily about survival, not yet anyway, but it’s about grabbing an opportunity in a new era of automotive technology.
As the saying goes, “The only constant is change,” and nowhere is this truer than in the world of electric vehicles.