Garages experienced a ‘hefty’ surge in demand for MOTs and services after England’s third national lockdown was announced.
That’s according to data from price comparison site BookMyGarage.com, which said it registered an 80 per cent increase in MOT and service bookings for its franchised and independent garages versus the same period last year.
Workshops can stay open as they are essential services, and the government has said there won’t be any MOT extensions this time.
Exact figures for the increases couldn’t be supplied but a BookMyGarage.com spokesman said it was ‘a hefty number each day’.
Bookings for just MOTs went up by more than 50 per cent year on year, while nearly three-fifths (58 per cent) of customers opted for a full service with the MOT.
Karen Rotberg, co-founder of BookMyGarage.com, said: ‘The sector has come a long way since the first national lockdown.
‘It has introduced new processes and improved existing ones to enable contactless vehicle collection and delivery, but the new restrictions will still hurt new car sales.
‘Revenue gained from aftersales divisions will again be key, and the need for the franchised sector to develop aftersales market share in the vital Segment 2 & 3 car parc versus the fast-fits is more prominent than ever.’
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