A growing skills crisis in the UK’s vehicle repair and salvage sector is now directly pushing up repair costs, raising insurance premiums, and causing longer repair wait times — a situation Thatcham Research says is reaching a critical point. Thatcham’s findings reveal a sector struggling to keep pace with rapidly evolving automotive technology, especially electric vehicles (EVs) and advanced driver‑assistance systems (ADAS). These systems require more advanced technical skil

A growing skills gap in the UK’s automotive sector is raising concerns as new data shows that only one‑in‑four vehicle technicians are currently qualified to work on electric vehicles (EVs). According to the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), just 26% of the UK technician workforce held an EV qualification at the end of Q3 2025, a proportion that has stagnated as training rates slow. The IMI’s latest data reveals that the number of technicians gaining EV accreditation fel