The short answer: the customers are going electric faster than most of the trade admits, and an EV doesn't come back for the services a petrol or diesel car did. No oil changes, far fewer moving parts, longer intervals. The service revenue doesn't have to disappear, but it stops walking in the door by itself, and that changes the job of aftersales marketing completely.
How big is the shift really?
Bigger than the forecourt chat suggests. Per SIMI's 2026 figures, battery electric cars became Ireland's number one engine type this year, taking around 26 percent of the new car market, with over 32,000 registered by the end of August, up 55 percent on last year. Seven years ago petrol and diesel were 88 percent of registrations; now they're around a third. Every one of those EVs is a customer who won't be back for an oil change, ever.
Why don't EV customers come back?
Because nothing forces them to. The traditional service department was built on rhythm: the annual service, the oil, the filters, the timing belt, and the relationship those visits kept warm. An EV strips most of that out, and the danger isn't just lost service jobs. It's the quiet loss of the relationship, so when tyres, brakes or the next car do come up, you're no longer the obvious call.
Where does the aftersales money go?
It moves rather than vanishes. EVs are heavy and quick, so they eat tyres. Brakes corrode from underuse and still need attention. There's aircon, suspension, ADAS calibration, software, battery health checks, and the NCT isn't going anywhere. The garages that will win are the ones marketing those services by name, showing EV competence loudly, and building the visits the car no longer schedules for them: seasonal checks, tyre health, pre-NCT inspections.
What should garages do about it now?
Own the database before the habit breaks. Reminders driven by NCT dates and tyre wear rather than oil intervals, content that shows your team happily working on EVs, reviews from EV owners, and a booking experience that suits a customer who no longer "drops in". The relationship used to maintain itself twice a year on the ramp; from here on, marketing is what maintains it.
The bottom line
The EV era punishes garages that wait to be visited and rewards the ones that stay in touch on purpose. We build exactly that machinery. See our reminder campaigns, read how to promote a service department or book a free call.