Surging MOT demand is good news for aftermarket

MOT tests between April and June 2021 rose 45% on the same period last year.

This is according to data from the DVSA obtained by BookMyGarage. This is good news for the aftermarket sector as many drivers have their vehicles serviced as the same time, while MOT failures create additional work for repairers.

However, test numbers were still 32% down on the same period in 2019.

Karen Rotberg, co founder of BookMyGarage.com, said: “While MOT test numbers between April and June are still some way off 2019 levels, it’s interesting to see numbers have recovered by almost half, or some 1.7 million tests.

“That means approximately half of the 3.4 million additional MOT tests that took place between September and December last year have already been conducted. So, while this autumn and winter will still be busier than normal for garages, we don’t expect it to be quite to the same extent as last year.

“We knew the six-month MOT extension would have an impact lasting several years, but this data shows that in the first year alone, MOT numbers have already rebalanced somewhat.”

The recovery of MOT test numbers in the challenging second quarter of 2021 was likely driven by a combination of used cars being sold with a new MOT, and three-year-old cars having an MOT test for the first time.

Monitoring MOT test numbers is a key indicator of how busy the aftersales sector is, since most drivers choose to have their vehicle serviced at the same time, and MOT failures create additional repair work for garages.