A record number of light commercial vehicles are now on UK roads, newly released figures have shown, which puts garages and turbo repair specialists in a great position to thrive as the vehicle parc grows.

Government figures¹ show that older vans are being kept on the road for longer, with the average age of vans on UK roads now standing at just under nine years old, the highest since records began.

Meanwhile, figures² released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed that the growth of the UK van market in August was the eighth consecutive month of an increase in new registrations, showing a recovery in the sector following the Covid pandemic.

A combination of an expanded vehicle parc and a recovery in new van registrations provides an opportunity for both garages and turbocharger repairers, says Tom Wright, our group product manager.

“Firstly, because vans and pickups are being kept for longer, there’s an immediate increase in the opportunities for servicing and repair,” Wright said. “Whether it’s routine maintenance to ensure longevity, or the repair or replacement of a faulty part, the increasing average age of vans is good news for the aftermarket.”

“Secondly, the growth in new vehicle sales will fuel demand for future repairs when manufacturer warranties expire,” Wright continued. “As vehicle manufacturers look to meet demand for more efficient vehicles with optimised performance and reduced emissions, we expect that opportunities for servicing and turbocharger repair will extend well into the future.”

We are continuing to develop our range of turbochargers and components to help turbo specialists meet this growing demand. With an increasing range of products available, garages can choose to have a failed unit repaired or remanufactured by a turbo specialist, rather than replacing with a new original-equipment unit. Alternatively, they can purchase a new unit from us.

Furthermore, for garages that suspect turbocharger issues, turbo repair specialists can provide a full inspection and diagnosis service to help identify the root cause of failure and prevent further issues.

Contact us at Melett_enquiries@wabtec.com to find your local repair specialist.

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Electrified performance also impressed, with hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles accounting for more than a third of the new car market. The demand for battery electric cars was such that a new one was registered every 60 seconds in the month. Furthermore, according to the latest market outlook published today, this will accelerate to one every 50 seconds by the end of the year, and up to one every 40 seconds by the end of 2024. July has also been positive for battery electric vans, which saw registrations skyrocket 93.6% to achieve a 5.5% market share.

[Source – SMMT. 04 August 2023 . Summer of highs for the new car and van market – SMMT]

Other stories;

Demand for urgent action as cost of petrol hits £100 per tank

Rise in Google searches for oil and bonnet queries

On Tuesday, the price of petrol rose by more than 2p in just 24 hours – the biggest daily increase in 17 years.

The latest rise has sparked an angry response from AA president Edmund King, who has demanded the government “act urgently” to reduce the record fuel prices, which are “crippling the lives of those on lower incomes, rural areas and businesses”.

It now costs an owner of a car with a 55-litre tank, such as an Audi A3 or a BMW 3 Series, £100.27 to fully fill up with unleaded, and £103.34 with diesel. This has come after petrol prices rose by 1.58p to 182.31p per litre. Diesel prices rose by 1.48p to 188.05p.

The AA calls on the government to cut VAT by 10p as RAC labels rise a “truly dark day”

He has also called on ministers to introduce a fuel price stabiliser, which would work by reducing fuel duty when prices go up and increasing it when prices drop.

Image source: www.autocar.co.uk

King said: “A fuel price stabiliser is a fair means for the Treasury to help regulate the pump price but alongside this they need to bring in more fuel price transparency to stop the daily rip-offs at the pumps. The £100 tank is not sustainable with the general cost of living crisis so the underlying issues need to be addressed urgently.”

Meanwhile, RAC fuel expert Simon Williams labelled the fill-up rise a “truly dark day”, adding: “With average prices so high, there’s almost certainly going to be upward inflationary pressure, which is bad news for everybody.”

The price to fill up a typical family car with fuel has hit the £100 mark for the first time, sparking the AA to call on the government to cut fuel tax by a further 10p.

Sources: Experian Catalist, RAC.

Sanctions on Russia following its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine have also heavily contributed to rising fuel costs. Russia is one of the biggest producers of oil in the world and it supplied 18% of the UK’s diesel fuel last year.

This coupled with a weak pound and large post-Covid worldwide demand has caused prices to skyrocket. However, the wholesale price of petrol dropped yesterday by 5p, sparking hope of prices levelling out.

Earlier this week, AA fuel price expert Luke Bosdet claimed many drivers stayed at home over the bank holiday weekend due to the price rise.

Read the full article here – https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/consumer/demand-urgent-action-cost-petrol-hits-%C2%A3100-tank

[Source: Autocar, June 2022, https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/consumer/demand-urgent-action-cost-petrol-hits-%C2%A3100-tank]