Is the vehicle repair sector under-regulated?

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) is advising the Government to act to introduce a mandatory requirement for vehicle technicians, ensuring they need to obtain a license so they can practise. The licensing would help to ensure that every technician has the relevant skills and is competent to work on vehicles. This is seen as particularly important when you consider how much vehicular technology has advanced in the last few years.

The IMI points to the fact that people working in several sectors where health and safety is a concern need to be licensed, including dentists and boiler repair specialists. There are countless safety concerns in the motor industry and if technicians are not properly trained and licensed, consumers may be put at risk. They are pushing to introduce a similar licensing framework where vehicle repair specialists would need to renew their license periodically, ensuring they stay up to date with changes in technology and maintain their skills.

To support their proposal, the IMI conducted research, asking MPs whether they believed staff in their local garages were qualified to work on modern vehicles. The headline grabbing finding is that 18% of MPs believe that all of the technicians in their local garage are qualified. 52% believe a majority of them have the right qualifications.

The research also asked MPs whether they would back the introduction of a mandatory licence for vehicle technicians. It found that 56% would, whereas 27% of Conservative MPs and 2% of Labour MPs would be in opposition to the proposal.

The idea of licensing for vehicle technicians is likely to continue to be debated. With increasing numbers of hybrid and electrical vehicles on the roads in the UK the skills of people working on vehicles will remain under scrutiny.

At Swanley MOT Centre we are committed to offering the highest standards of service for every single client. We provide vehicle servicing in Addington along with several other services and ensure that every member of our team has the relevant skills to work on all kinds of vehicles. In this way, we are able to give our clients confidence that their vehicles are only being worked on by skilled and experienced specialists.