The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has launched a new toolkit for garages to help them with the surge in demand for MOTs.
Following on from the agency’s Beat the Rush campaign in 2020, the DVSA is looking at new ways to help garages cope with an increase in MOTs due to the six-month extension put in place during the COVID-19 lockdown last year.
This support includes new graphics for garages, social media posts and an email template which workshops can tailor to their own needs. The Autumn MOT demand campaign toolkit is now available to download. The toolkit can be used to encourage motorists to book their MOT now, making sure they can get a slot.
This will help to keep motorists safe, while also encouraging them to book their annual test earlier than needed, which will regulate garage workflows and start to spread the MOT work across the year again.
Taking advantage
The DVSA announcement comes as ignition specialist NGK reiterates its call for workshops to take advantage of the current surge in demand for MOTs.
Millions of car owners used the government’s COVID-19 MOT exemption at the beginning of the pandemic last year. It saw vehicles with a test due between 30 March and 31 July eligible for a six-month extension, with 5.5 million drivers taking advantage.
This week leading distributor LKQ Euro Car Parts said the independent aftermarket should be capitalising on a spike in demand to ‘ride the MOT wave’ this month.
It pointed out that the deferred tests are on top of the MOTs that have always fallen later in the year and presented a significant opportunity for garages, calling on them to manage the surge in demand and maximise revenue by reaching out to customers whose tests are due in the coming weeks.
NGK says many thousands of vehicles will fail the MoT test on emissions leading to increased demand for Lambda sensor replacement and coinciding with a big demand for pre-winter servicing spark plug and glow plug replacement.
“For the past few months we have been predicting that workshops were in for a very busy Autumn as they deal with the increase in demand for MOTs and that has now been echoed by a leading UK distributor,” said Mark Hallam, Marketing Manager, NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Ltd.
“MOTs and pre-winter vehicle servicing demand, will lead to increased replacement of Lambda sensors for vehicles that fail the MOT emission test and also spark and glow plug replacement as owners make sure their vehicles are in good order in preparation for the cold winter months.”
