Citypress and LKQ lead automotive aftermarket in calling on Transport Secretary to support the independent workshop

A group of the automotive aftermarket’s leading suppliers, repairers and trade bodies has co-signed a list of policy asks sent by LKQ UK & Ireland and Citypress to the Secretary of State for Transport. 

Under the title, ‘Fighting for the Right to Repair’, LKQ UK & Ireland CEO Kevan Wooden set the scene by outlining the critical contribution of the automotive aftermarket to the UK’s social and economic infrastructure, and of independent repairers in particular in ensuring safe and roadworthy transport is accessible to all. 

The document was prepared in partnership with the specialist automotive team at communications consultancy Citypress, and has been co-signed by Halfords, Kwik Fit, The AA, The RAC, Micheldever Tyre Services, Formula One Autocentres, ATS Euromaster, Hella, ZF, TMD Friction, Schaeffler, The IMI and The IAAF. 

LKQ UK & Ireland has been a Citypress client since 2019, and the team also works with LKQ Europe. 

Kevan Wooden said: “Significant challenges persist that threaten the independent aftermarket and risk creating a monopoly for the vehicle manufacturers. And they have real implications for the economy, and for consumer choice and affordability.  

The Department for Transport has an important part to play in resolving these challenges and ensuring the independent sector can continue to compete and thrive. We have identified five key areas of focus where support is urgently needed, and we are keen, together with our partners, to engage with government and set a new tone for its relationship with our sector.” 

LKQ and Citypress consulted The IAAF and their other partners to agree and prioritise five key requests to support the UK aftermarket’s long term vitality and viability. 

Specific to the independent workshop – and critical to protecting consumer choice – is a call to align vehicle type approval and motor vehicle block exemption regulations, to eliminate the potential for vehicle manufacturers to restrict access to in-vehicle data, information and other essential inputs that are required to diagnose, service or repair a vehicle – particularly in the context of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).  

And in a similar vein, a wider regulatory framework has been called for to address access to data and cybersecurity – not dissimilar to the single, mandated all-manufacturer SERMI scheme being rolled out across Europe. 

Other issues tackled in the document include the need for tax cuts on training and other business investment, to help independent technicians qualify to work on ADAS-enabled vehicles and hybrids and EVs. And more widely, a national automotive employment scheme has been highlighted as a critical need – similar those seen in the hospitality sector in recent year. 

Finally, the lack of a secondary market for the refit and refurbishment of EV batteries is identified as having the potential to undermine the environmental gains made by the shift away from ICE, and to limit the affordability and accessibility of EVs – with the introduction of a regulatory framework to govern collaboration between the aftermarket and vehicle manufacturers positioned as key to the solution. 

Fiona Carmichael, Head of Automotive and Mobility at Citypress, added: “Many businesses in the UK aftermarket are SMEs, often located away from the more visible main road locations of the main dealers – and to policy makers, they are literally out of sight and out of mind.  

But if the UK is to meet its climate obligations, if our roads are to remain some of the world’s safest and if our consumers are to retain a choice for affordable repair and maintenance services, it’s time for the government to recognise the value and contribution that the UK aftermarket provides.  

It’s brilliant to see so many leading voices from the sector come together to campaign for change.”