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Back in 2021, the Institute of the Motor Industry issued what felt, at the time, like a distant warning. They predicted that by 2026, the UK’s demand for EV-qualified technicians would outpace supply and that if the industry didn’t act urgently, the consequences would ripple through the entire transition to zero-emission transport. I remember reading it and thinking: that’s five years away, surely there’s time.
Well, 2026 is here. And the IMI’s warning hasn’t aged well for anyone who ignored it.
The latest IMI TechSafe data, published at the start of this year, makes for uncomfortable reading. By the end of Q3 2025, only one in four UK automotive technicians, just 26% of the workforce totalling 71,942 people, held an EV qualification. That number alone is concerning enough. But what troubles me more is the direction of travel.
The number of technicians gaining an EV qualification in Q3 2025 fell by nearly 13% compared to Q1. Training isn’t accelerating to meet demand; it’s slowing down. At the very moment fleets are being pushed harder than ever towards electrification through the ZEV mandate, employer investment in upskilling is going in the wrong direction.
I think I know why. Government messaging on EVs has been inconsistent, to put it charitably. Economic pressures are squeezing budgets. And there’s a perfectly human tendency to prioritise today’s workshop queue over tomorrow’s skills shortage. But that logic is running out of road.
There’s an angle to this story that doesn’t get enough attention. It isn’t just about raw numbers; it’s about where the qualified technicians are concentrated.
EV-qualified technicians remain heavily concentrated within the franchise dealer network, leaving independent workshops and certain regions of the UK under-served. For operators running mixed or transitioning fleets, especially those working with independent MRO workshops outside major urban centres, this matters enormously. You can mandate EVs all you like, but if the nearest qualified technician is two counties away, you’ve got a real operational problem.
The IMI’s Emma Carrigy put it plainly: there is a strong risk of a postcode lottery as the second-hand EV market grows. And that second-hand market is coming fast. As EVs filter down from fleet disposal into the broader parc, the demand for independent, qualified repair capability is going to spike and right now, the infrastructure simply isn’t there to meet it.
The punchline? “It is now too late for even sustained growth in certification to fully close the gap.” That’s the IMI’s own assessment. The window to get ahead of this is narrowing, not widening. And the most acute pressure, as the ZEV mandate drives a rapid acceleration in EV sales, falls in the years leading up to 2030.
For fleet operators and transport businesses, the message is clear: waiting for a government-funded solution is not a strategy. The government has so far declined to commit the relatively modest funding the IMI has repeatedly requested, and there’s little sign that’s about to change.
Most of the coverage around this skills gap focuses on passenger cars. But for those of us working in commercial transport, the stakes are arguably higher. Heavy electric vehicles carry different risks and demand a different level of technical competence. High-voltage systems on HGVs and PSVs aren’t simply a scaled-up version of what you’d find under a Tesla bonnet; they require specific, accredited training to work on safely.
The legal exposure here is real. If an unqualified technician is injured working on a high-voltage commercial vehicle, an operator’s duty of care is on the line. That’s not a risk you want to leave unmanaged, and it’s not one you can retrospectively fix after an incident.
This is where I’d encourage operators and workshop managers to stop reading the headlines and start taking practical steps. At Lloyd Morgan Group, we’ve built a suite of IMI-accredited electric and hybrid vehicle training courses specifically designed for commercial workshop teams, from awareness-level introductions right through to advanced repair and diagnostics on heavy and light vehicles.
Our courses cover:
All training is delivered on-site at your workshop, which means there’s no need to pull technicians off the floor for days at a time. It’s also worth noting that the certification your team earns isn’t just a tick-box; it’s audit evidence. If you’re working towards IRTE Workshop Accreditation or going through a maintenance systems audit, having documented, accredited EV training on record matters.
We work with operators every day who are managing the compliance pressures of running a professional fleet. Whether that’s Transport Manager CPC training, IRTEC accreditation for vehicle inspectors, or driver training programmes, the thread running through all of it is the same: a well-trained workforce is the foundation of a compliant, well-run operation.
EV training isn’t separate from that picture. It’s becoming central to it.
The IMI warned us this was coming. The data shows we haven’t responded quickly enough as an industry. But for individual operators and workshop managers, that doesn’t have to be your story. The training exists, it’s accredited, and it can be delivered where you need it.
If you’re ready to get ahead of the curve, get in touch with our team or call 01543 897 505 to discuss your workshop’s EV training needs.
Lloyd Morgan Group has delivered compliance-driven training for the transport and engineering sectors for over 20 years. Our workshop training programmes are designed to meet the practical realities of operating a professional fleet in a rapidly changing regulatory environment.
Email us at:
info@lloydmorgangroup.co.uk
Find us at:
Lloyd Morgan Group Ltd
Phoenix House,
Hemlock Park,
Hyssop Close,
Cannock.
WS11 7GA
