Labour and National have both signaled support for a vehicle “right to repair”, and MTA is backing the debate while warning that the details still need work.
For years, independent workshops have been fighting the same battle against modern cars. A car turns up with a fault, and the information needed to fix it sits behind a manufacturer’s paywall, software licence or dealer-only tool. Now that problem has become an election issue.
Labour and National have both signalled support for a vehicle “right to repair”, though by different routes. Motor industry body MTA says that means the topic is likely to get political attention whoever forms the next government.
Two Parties, Two Routes
Labour has put a vehicle right to repair in its election commitments. The party says the policy would give independent repairers access to the manuals, software, tools and information needed to work on modern vehicles.
National has taken a different path. If re-elected, it says it will progress a member’s bill on the subject from Northcote MP Dan Bidois. That bill is currently in the ballot. It did not go forward as a Government bill this term, but a new term brings new coalition negotiations, and that could change its prospects.
The Choice of Repairer group has done most of the work to raise the issue’s profile. It speaks for independent repair networks and aftermarket parts suppliers.
The Questions Still Open
MTA supports the principle, but it says several big questions have not yet been properly worked through. For the trade, these include:
- how new vehicles and used imports would be treated
- what access and training requirements would apply
- how manufacturers’ intellectual property would be protected
- how “fair and reasonable access” would work in practice
Consumers have their own questions. How would warranties be protected? And who is responsible if a repair goes wrong? Those questions matter to anyone who has ever weighed a dealer’s service quote against the independent workshop down the road.
Where MTA Stands
MTA has long argued that this conversation is needed and will probably require legislation. However, it wants the details considered carefully, with repairers, dealers and manufacturers at the same table. The association says its talks across the industry have been positive so far.
Its members cover every part of the motor trade, so MTA says it cannot give unqualified support to the Bidois bill as drafted. Even so, it calls the proposal a worthy starting point for debate. It adds that any resulting law should benefit both the industry and consumers.
From here, MTA plans to set up member engagement groups. It will also work with officials and the select committee once the issue reaches that stage.
Tarmac Takeaway
MTA’s main point is simple. As vehicles become more sophisticated, everyday diagnosis and repair depend more on proprietary information, tools and software, and that dependence will keep growing. A workshop with excellent mechanics but no access to the right data can’t fix many modern cars.
With both major parties backing the idea, the debate is likely to move on from whether to legislate. The harder part will be defining “fair and reasonable access” in law, and that is where the work for repairers, dealers and manufacturers starts.
