New car sales were up 16.7% in May, with 145,204 registrations made during the month, the latest figures from the SMMT have shown.This was the 10th consecutive months of growth, and the longest period of uninterrupted growth since 2015.However, sales are still 21% below pre-pandemic 2019.

There are very wide variations in the availability of EV-qualified technicians across the UK a new IMI report has found, and the organisation has warned that this risks running the EV bandwagon off the road.

Servicesure Autocentres is teaming up with Recharge Rescue to offer around-the-clock emergency roadside charging for EV drivers.

106,000 ADAS-certified technicians will be needed by 2030 as the number of vehicles in the UK car parc with Level 2 autonomy increases the IMI has warned, but a new study from the body shows just 3,000 mechanics are qualified at present.

Garages should be on their guard to make sure cars left outside in the hot weather do not have anything reflective inside that could cause a fire, after sunglasses left on a dashboard caused a car in Nuthall, Nottinghamshire to burst into flames on Saturday (27 May).

A garage in The UK’s more northerly city, Inverness, has joined the Eurorepar Car Service network.

Dealer group Lookers has teamed up with sustainable energy provider Egg to install EV charging infrastructure across its network.The chargers set to be fitted include fast 7 kWh AC units as well as rapid 150 kWh DC chargers.

LKQ Euro Car Parts’ support for Ukraine continues, and the company was able to make its latest £5,000 donation in person, when Sisters from the Congregation of St Joseph in Ukraine visited its Tamworth HQ.

Mobile mechanics, tyre fitters, and smart repairers will now be covered by The Motor Ombudsman’s Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair, as a result of an expansion timed to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the launch of the code on 23 May 2008.

With the ability to charge a major stumbling block for prospective EV users, A new EV charging solution for businesses running fleets has been launched within Octopus Energy’s Electroverse offering .

Some vehicle technicians may be among those least at risk of losing their job and being replaced by artificial intelligence (AI), according to recent research.

The 1993 Rover 216 cabriolet used by Louise Baker and Rachel Murray for last year’sBangers4Ben, which made it to Monaco and back in five days last year is being auctioned at Automechanika Birmingham on Wednesday 7 June to fundraise for Ben.

Ring and OSRAM have added a second dual branded van to their demonstration fleet.
Specialist Sales Manager Dan Edginton will use the vehicle to visit customers in specialist plumbing, electrical, building and non-automotive sectors,

Company insolvencies in the automotive industry may reach their highest ever levels during 2023 it has been suggested.

Schaeffler has found its first REPXPERT Bonus Point Millionaire - Markhams Garage in Kingsland.

35% of calls into the LKQ Academy Technical Helpline relate to diesel systems, a study by the service has revealed, making this the most common area for queries.

The consultation from the Consultation and Markets Authority (CMA) on the UK replacement for the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation (MV-BER) closed yesterday (Tuesday 16 June), and the IGA was among a number of organisations that submitted responses looking at how the new Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Order (MV-BEO) will need to function.

EV cable theft is a growing trend in the UK, and garages may need to help EV owners who have had their cables pinched, WAI has warned.

TPS, the Volkswagen Group-owned Genuine Parts provider to the independent motor trade, has renewed its sponsorship for the Top Technician and Top Garage 2023 competitions.

A new garage network, 1TEC Auto Hub, has been launched by LKQ Euro Car Parts, along with MPM Oil, Pagid, Schaeffler, Shell, Valeo, Varta, and ZF Aftermarket,

New car sales were up 11.6% in April, with 132,990 vehicles registered, according to the latest figures from the SMMT.

ALLDATA Europe has added its support to Top Technician and Top Garage 2023 as a Full Event Partner for both competitions.

Independent supplier of Rolls-Royce and Bentley parts Flying Spares is trying to establish for certain exactly where Charles Stewart Rolls first met Frederick Henry Royce. They only know for certain it was somewhere in Manchester in 1904, on May 4th, now commonly known as Star Wars Day

The IGA has launched a new one-day practical fault-finding course for EVs to its training offering.

Motorists in the UK saved £99 million in 2022 by opting for used parts and according to new research by eBay, timed to coincide with the relaunch of its Certified Recycled portal, through which 81 certified sellers offer recycled vehicle parts.

The deadline for entering Top Garage 2023 has been extended to Wednesday 31 May.

The 2023 Star Awards, which includes the Garage Star and Customer Service Star accolades, both run by The Motor Ombudsman are now open for customer nominations, with over 7,000 Motor Ombudsman-accredited franchise dealerships, independent garages and body repair centres across the UK eligible to be put forward by motorists.

The right to repair cars still under three years warranty, enjoyed by independent garages in the UK for 20 years, is up for grabs, as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launches its consultation on the draft guidance to accompany the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Order, which was the MV-BER under EU law.

ChargeUK launches as the voice of the EV charging industry with new figures on the scale of charge point deployment now underway.

EV charging platform Monta is testing a new queueing feature it says will cut down on waiting at charge points for drivers.
Monta’s smart queueing function enables drivers to view, book and virtually queue for charge points at designated private charge points.

Snap-on is reminding mechanics of the once-in-a-lifetime competition prize it is offering users of Snap-on Intelligent Diagnostics; A unique Snap-on Ford Model-T replica.

Lucas Oil Products UK has become the official lubricant and additive partner for the Time Attack, Motorsport UK Drift Pro and Racing Hondas Championships.

Supertracker has launched the latest video in an ongoing series the company is running on its YouTube channel.

56% of of consumers “hugely overestimate” the likely degradation of used electric car batteries over a five year period, believing a 30% range drop is likely when it is suggested that 20% or less is more likely, according to April’s Startline Used Car Tracker.

Autotech Group has launched a new divsion, Autotech Connect, intended to help the automotive aftermarket fight cyber scammers while also introducing them to tech hardware, software, training and IT providers.

Essex-based 2022 Top Garage winners in the multi-site class Shaikly Motor Company has seen its new website appear in more than 500,000 page one Google searches in just eight months.

Schaeffler’s Spring REPXPERT Bonus Shop promotion is focused on tooling, and is providing offers on LASER tools.

ZF Aftermarket has invested in mobile fuelling and in-vehicle energy payment provider CarPay-Diem as part of its overall goal to move towards being to a digital mobility service provider for the fleet market.

BORG Automotive Group has published its ESG report for 2022, which looks at its progress through the year in terms of environment, social and governance achievement.

BM Catalysts, has launched a new video showing how a DPF functions on its YouTube channel.

79% of motorists will refuse to buy a used vehicle if it does not have a full or nearly full service history, while 42% require the full service history, with every service undertaken, before putting money down on a car, according to a new study from BookMyGarage.com.

66% of automotive employees say stress has the biggest impact on their health and wellbeing, according to a new survey from Ben.

AS-PL has opened the doors at its latest new site – in Liverpool.

A tasty prize resulting from a sales win recently inspired TPS to help a local homeless charity.

The DVSA has unveiled its Strategic Plan to 2025 and Vision to 2030. These aim to make progress towards doing five things:
• Make roads safer
• Improve services for DVSA customers
• Make road transport greener and healthier
• Harness the potential of new technology and data
• Grow and level up the economy

Castrol is teaming up with Tetrosyl in a three-year partnership that will look widen access for garages to Castrol’s product range

Schaeffler has confirmed that Andy Savva, The Garage Inspector, is to continue as a REPXPERT Brand Ambassador, a role he has held since 2018. To celebrate, Andy is donating a number of Garage Inspector training courses to support the REPXPERT Bonus Point Millionaire promotion

The IGA has begun offering a an Invoice Checker Service for its members, which helps garages to find the best utility deals in the market.

The big pointing finger of fate could be gesturing towards you, with three lucky ‘REPXPERT Bonus Point Millionaires’ set to be created by Schaeffler via a anniversary prize draw being made at the beginning of May.

With EV expansion dependent on greater power generation and more charging infrastructure, plans to increase power generation and boost green industry were announced by the government today (Thursday 30 March), along with a consultation that will look at how to make the 2030 deadline to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles a reality.