Fleets hold onto vehicles for longer with higher maintenance costs

Fleets continue to hold onto cars and vans for much longer and the prospect of returning to pre-pandemic levels is remote.

That’s the view of epyx 1link Service Network service, maintenance and repair (SMR) platform which saw the number of repairs going through its business rise by 6% during 2023.

1link Service Network is used by fleets totalling more than four million cars, vans and trucks to manage their SMR processes, working with over 8,500 franchise dealers, independent garages and fast fits.

Tim Meadows, chief commercial officer at epyx, said: “Fleets continue to operate cars and vans for much longer than prior to the pandemic, meaning they simply require more SMR actions.

“While there are some indications that this situation is in the process of stabilising as new vehicle supply gradually improves, the prospect of returning to the shorter replacement cycles seen previously seems remote, at least for the foreseeable future.

“As far as epyx is concerned, we have experienced some important developments, including use of 1link Service Network from a number of customers in new sectors, notably warranty companies, who are using the platform to deliver repairs in order to take greater control over the claims process.

“We have also seen dealers start to use the platform to repair cars sold on a distance basis that have developed faults after delivery.”

Last year was the 20th anniversary of the launch of 1link Service Network.