50 Fleet Maintenance and Vehicle Downtime Statistics UK Operators Need to Know in 2025

1. UK automotive and fleet landscape

• Turnover of UK automotive manufacturing
  The UK automotive sector generated around £93 billion in turnover in 2023, according to SMMT Motor Industry Facts 2025. Source: SMMT Motor Industry Facts 2025.
• Jobs supported by UK automotive
  Automotive related activity supports about 813,000 jobs across the wider UK economy, including more than 198,000 in manufacturing roles. Source: Sovereign UK summary of SMMT data.
• Share of UK goods exports
  Automotive manufacturing accounts for roughly 12 percent of total UK goods exports and produces around £47 billion of export value each year. Source: Sovereign UK using SMMT figures.
• Sector value and new car growth
  The UK automotive sector is valued at more than £100 billion, supported by a 6.4 percent rise in new car registrations in quarter one of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. Source: Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, Future of the Auto Industry Report 2025.
• Plug in share of UK new cars
  Figures collated from SMMT and CleanTechnica show that plug in vehicles represent about 28.2 percent of UK new car registrations, with battery electric alone close to one in five new cars sold. Source: Plug in electric vehicles in the United Kingdom, summarising SMMT and CleanTechnica.
• Vehicle ownership per head in the UK
  The UK has about 632 vehicles per 1,000 people, one of the higher ownership levels in Europe, based on OICA data summarised by Visual Capitalist and Voronoi. Sources: Voronoi and Visual Capitalist vehicle ownership by country.
• Average vehicle age in the UK
  ACEA data quoted by BMTA Trust indicates that the average car on UK roads is now around 10 years old, with this average expected to increase because of lower new car volumes. Source: BMTA Trust sector insights.
• Size of the UK plug in parc
  By June 2024 there were roughly 1.8 million plug in cars registered in the UK, including more than 1.14 million battery electric cars and around 670,000 plug in hybrids. Source: BMTA Trust growth in electric vehicles.
• EV growth rate in the UK
  Electric vehicle registrations in the UK increased by about 41 percent in 2023 compared with 2022, according to ACEA figures quoted by BMTA Trust. Source: BMTA Trust growth in electric vehicles.
• Annual spend on servicing and repair
  UK motorists collectively spend around £21.1 billion per year on vehicle servicing and repair, based on SMMT analysis of the UK automotive aftermarket. Source: SMMT British cars among the world’s best kept.

2. Ownership, servicing behaviour and repair costs

• Annual cost of car ownership in the UK
  Insurance Revolution estimates that typical UK drivers spend around £3,100 per year on car ownership costs, excluding the purchase price of the vehicle. Source: Insurance Revolution car ownership costs.
• Higher estimate for annual ownership costs
  An earlier version of the same analysis put the figure closer to £3,600 per year, underlining how running costs have climbed. Source: Insurance Revolution car ownership costs 2022.
• Monthly cost pressure
  Analysis highlighted by Mob76 Outlook suggests average UK car ownership costs of about £482 per month, driven by insurance, fuel and finance. Source: Mob76 Outlook, insurance and car costs.
• Generation Z car ownership shift
  Tempcover research reported in The Sun found that 32 percent of UK Generation Z respondents do not own a car, compared with 24 percent of millennials and 22 percent of baby boomers. Source: The Sun coverage of Tempcover research.
• Rising price of a first car
  The same research suggests the average first car now costs around £4,000 in the UK, compared with about £800 during the 1990s. Source: The Sun Tempcover research summary.
• Average full service costs
  Checkatrade guidance for 2025 suggests a typical UK full car service costs about £170 for a small car, £210 for a medium car and up to around £395 for a large car. Source: Checkatrade car service cost guide.
• Preference for independent garages
  A Select Car Leasing survey cited by BMTA Trust found that 70 percent of UK drivers prefer independent garages to main dealers for servicing and repair. Source: BMTA Trust insights on independent garages.
• Fleet use of independent garages by age
  Fleet News reports that for fleet service, maintenance and repair work the independent share rises from about 30 percent at one to two years old to about 40 percent at three to four years old, based on Epyx 1link data. Source: Fleet News, use of independent garages by fleets.
• Skills gap in EV capable technicians
  MarketDataForecast notes that Institute of the Motor Industry research shows 47 percent of garages struggle to hire technicians trained in hybrid and EV systems. Source: MarketDataForecast, global automotive aftermarket.
• Projected UK technician shortfall
  BMTA Trust highlights a potential shortage of about 16,000 qualified technicians by 2032 in the UK, even though more than 14,800 technicians gained EV related certifications in 2022. Source: BMTA Trust, sourcing skilled talent.

3. Maintenance, lubricants and aftermarket markets

• Size of UK maintenance and repair industry
  IBISWorld estimates revenue for the UK Motor Vehicle Maintenance and Repair industry at around £34.9 billion in 2024 to 2025, with compound growth of about 0.3 percent over the previous five years. Source: IBISWorld, Motor Vehicle Maintenance and Repair in the UK.
• Global lubricants market value
  Fortune Business Insights values the global lubricants market at about US$175.52 billion in 2024, rising to roughly US$205.62 billion by 2032. Source: Fortune Business Insights, lubricants market outlook.
• Alternative global lubricants forecast
  Precedence Research projects the lubricants market rising from about US$144.4 billion in 2024 to around US$180.2 billion by 2030, which implies compound growth of about 3.8 percent. Source: Precedence Research, lubricants market.
• European aftermarket vehicle parc
  FIA Region 1 estimates around 295 million passenger vehicles and 39 million light commercial vehicles in the wider European aftermarket region that includes the UK. Source: FIA, automotive aftermarket in Europe study.
• Digitalisation of lubricants and maintenance
  Lubes and Greases notes that digitalisation and Industry 4.0 technologies are reshaping a lubricants market worth around US$139 billion, with predictive maintenance and condition monitoring becoming more common. Source: Lubes and Greases, Industry 4.0 and lubricants.
• Maintenance share of truck operating costs
  ATRI data quoted by FleetHD and EasiTrack indicates that maintenance and repair now average about US$0.20 per mile for trucks, which is roughly 9 percent of total fleet operating expenses. Sources: FleetHD and EasiTrack, cost of fleet maintenance.
• Preventive versus reactive maintenance costs
  EasiTrack cost comparisons show typical preventive maintenance visits at about US$200 to US$400 with one to two hours of planned downtime, while reactive repairs can cost US$600 to US$3,600 and take one to three days. Source: EasiTrack, hidden costs of skipping maintenance.
• Global fleet management solutions market
  Fact.MR expects the global fleet management solutions market to expand from about US$65.1 billion in 2024 to roughly US$300 billion by 2034, at about 16.5 percent compound growth. Source: Fact.MR, fleet management market outlook.
• UK fleet management market growth
  IMARC Group values the UK fleet management market at about US$644 million in 2024, with forecasts of around US$1.48 billion by 2033 at close to 9.7 percent compound growth. Source: IMARC, UK fleet management market.
• Benchmark cost per mile for service fleets
  EasiTrack 2025 benchmarks suggest efficient service fleets can reach a cost per mile of about US$0.24 and an annual total cost of ownership near US$9,584 per vehicle. Source: EasiTrack, 2025 fleet cost benchmarks.

4. Downtime and maintenance economics

• Typical cost of vehicle downtime per day
  Element Fleet data indicates that unplanned vehicle downtime commonly costs fleets around US$448 to US$760 per vehicle per day. Sources: Fleet Maintenance and Element Fleet, true cost of vehicle downtime.
• Hourly cost of downtime
  CerebrumX summarises this as about US$79.33 per hour of downtime per vehicle, based on the same Element Fleet benchmarks. Source: CerebrumX, true cost of vehicle downtime.
• Refuse fleet maintenance cost share
  FleetHD notes that for refuse fleets, maintenance costs typically account for about 5 percent to 10 percent of total operating expenses. Source: FleetHD, real cost of fleet maintenance.
• Roadside assistance event cost
  The same FleetHD analysis cites about US$350 to US$700 per roadside repair call for emergency assistance when a vehicle fails on route. Source: FleetHD, cost breakdown of emergency repairs.
• Truck rental during downtime
  To cover an out of service vehicle, fleets can pay up to about US$3,000 per month for a replacement truck rental. Source: FleetHD, rental replacement cost estimate.
• Impact of missed preventive maintenance
  EasiTrack summarises studies showing that unplanned repairs can cost about three to nine times more than scheduled maintenance when fleets defer routine servicing. Source: EasiTrack, importance of fleet inspections.
• Idle fuel waste per vehicle
  EasiTrack benchmarks note that excessive idling burns about 0.5 gallons of fuel per hour, which can equate to more than US$700 per vehicle per year if not managed. Source: EasiTrack, 2025 fleet cost benchmarks.
• High mileage failure cost example
  SimplyFleet analysis warns that a single preventable high mileage failure can cost about US$3,000 to more than US$9,000 in repair bills before downtime losses are counted. Source: SimplyFleet, vehicle mileage versus repair costs.
• Reddit insight on fleet jobs
  One Reddit small business operator running a mobile oil change service reported that fleet clients allowed them to service about three to eight vehicles per visit, while paying about US$1,000 per month for garage keepers insurance and about US$3,300 per month for fleet vehicle insurance. Source: Reddit r/smallbusiness, mobile oil change discussion.
• Downtime as a top concern
  Fleet Management Weekly and Limble CMMS surveys show that fleet professionals consistently rank unscheduled downtime and breakdown risk among their top three maintenance challenges. Source: Fleet Management Weekly, reducing downtime with predictive maintenance.

5. E-commerce logistics, lockers and delivery networks

• UK e-commerce logistics market size
  ResearchAndMarkets estimates that the UK e-commerce logistics market was worth about US$28.04 billion in 2024 and could reach around US$36.94 billion by 2029, close to 6.9 percent compound growth. Source: ResearchAndMarkets, United Kingdom e-commerce logistics market.
• DHL Coventry super hub investment
  DHL Express has committed about £230 million to a hub at Coventry Airport with capacity for up to one million parcels per day and around 600 new jobs. Sources: DHL Express and UK news coverage.
• DHL UK network investment
  The Coventry project sits within a wider DHL plan with UK investments reported at around £482 million to expand parcel handling capacity and automation. Source: BBC News, DHL Coventry hub coverage.
• InPost acquisition of Yodel
  InPost agreed a £106 million deal to acquire UK carrier Yodel, which handles around 300 million parcels a year and has an estimated 8 percent share of the UK parcel market. Source: Reuters, InPost buys Yodel.
• InPost locker footprint
  InPost operates about 11,000 parcel lockers in the UK and more than 35,000 lockers across Europe, with a valuation reported near €5.5 billion. Source: The Times, Post Office parcel locker partnership with InPost.
• InPost Send service price point
  InPost Send for consumer parcels uses more than 9,200 lockers and partner shops in the UK, with locker to locker parcel shipping from about £1.99. Source: The Sun, InPost Send launch coverage.
• Royal Mail out of home network size
  Royal Mail offers more than 1,500 parcel lockers, more than 7,000 CollectPlus locations, about 11,500 Post Office branches and more than 115,000 postboxes. Source: Royal Mail, out of home network.
• Co op locker rollout with Royal Mail and others
  Co op plans to add Royal Mail lockers at about 100 more stores, taking its total stores with parcel lockers from multiple providers to more than 900 locations. Source: The Sun, Co op Royal Mail lockers expansion.
• Fuel station consolidation in the UK
  The UK now has about 8,385 filling stations, compared with about 18,000 in 1992 and a historic high close to 40,000 in the 1960s. Source: UK filling station figures from UKPIA.
• Fashion share of UK e-commerce
  Academic work on fashion returns notes that fashion accounts for around 31 percent of UK online sales according to Statista, which underlines the importance of reverse logistics and delivery performance. Source: Marriott 2025, The Billion pound question in fashion e-commerce, citing Statista.

6. Related Sinopec Online pages

Use these statistics alongside high intent product and category content on Sinopec Online:

• Sinopec hydraulic oil for commercial fleets
• Heavy duty engine oils for HGV and van fleets
• Axle, gear and transmission oils for fleet applications
• Sinopec lubricant technical data sheets

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7. Fleet maintenance FAQ

How expensive is unplanned fleet vehicle downtime?

Industry data based on Element Fleet analysis suggests that unplanned downtime typically costs about US$448 to US$760 per vehicle per day, which is roughly US$79 per hour when a vehicle cannot operate.

What share of UK new car registrations are plug in or fully electric?

Recent figures from SMMT and CleanTechnica show plug in vehicles at roughly 28 percent of UK new car registrations, with battery electric alone close to one in five new cars sold.

How large is the UK motor vehicle maintenance and repair market?

IBISWorld puts UK Motor Vehicle Maintenance and Repair industry revenue at about £34.9 billion in the 2024 to 2025 period, with modest growth as the vehicle parc has aged and used car volumes have increased.

Where can fleet operators buy lubricants online in the UK?

Sinopec Online supplies engine oils, hydraulic oils, gear oils and greases suitable for car, van, HGV and specialist fleets. All Sinopec lubricants supplied by Sinopec Online are genuine, factory sealed products backed by technical support, with same-day despatch available with reliable nationwide delivery and express options for urgent needs.