New data from Epyx reveals that vehicle off-road times, which refer to the duration between a vehicle entering a workshop and being repaired, have increased.
In 2023, the average off-road time was 1.91 days, compared to 1.74 days in 2022 and 1.63 days in 2021.
The average time from booking a company car or van to its scheduled maintenance has also seen an increase. Data from Epyx’s 1link Service Network platform, utilized by vehicle operators managing over four million units for SMR processes, shows a rise from 11.87 days in 2021 to 12.92 in 2022 and 13.74 in 2023.
Epyx attributes these increases to the rising average age of fleet cars and vans. The average age of fleet vehicles at the time of service or repair was 2.40 in 2019, 2.55 in 2020, 2.74 in 2021, 2.86 in 2022, and 3 in 2018. The ages for vans were 3.03 in 2019, 3.25 in 2020, 3.39 in 2022, and 3.58 in 2023.
Tim Meadows, chief commercial officer at Epyx, expressed surprise at the increasing rate of aging despite improved vehicle supply. He noted that older vehicles tend to require more SMR, leading to increased downtime and pressure on service providers to meet the needs of aging fleets.
Given these findings, Meadows emphasized the importance of fleets proactively reviewing their SMR plans to maximize usage and value from older fleet assets. He also highlighted ongoing discussions with customers on leveraging technology to minimize SMR spending.