Rising car maintenance costs are leaving workshops with a growing volume of partially completed safety-critical repairs.
That’s a key finding of Bumper’s Automotive Aftersales Report 2025/26, ,which found in 70% of vehicle health checks (VHCs) where ‘red’ safety critical issues were identified, drivers did not authorise all of the urgent items recommended by the technician.
The pattern points to a widening “conversion rate challenge” for franchised retailers as motorists manage shrinking household budgets.
The report reveals the average repair bill has climbed to £597.48, the highest in five years and up 26% since 2021, about five percentage points above inflation.
With nearly half of motorists (47%) saying the cost of living is affecting their ability to maintain their car, 47% of affected drivers are choosing not to approve advisory (‘amber’) VHC items.
Meanwhile 38% of affected drivers are delaying recommended repairs and 21% are skipping scheduled services, creating significant challenges for workshop conversion rates.
Among drivers who declined urgent (‘red’) work this year, 46% said they couldn’t afford it and 33% said the work itself was too expensive.
With more cost-pressured drivers keeping cars longer (91%) and shifting towards independents for lower cost work (59%), the pressure on dealership aftersales retention continues to intensify.
“Cost is still a critical decision factor for motorists and it’s worrying that so many drivers are having to leave urgent repairs unfinished because of affordability concerns,” said Jack Allman, CCO at Co-Founder at Bumper.
Click here for the full report
