Independents close VOR gap with franchise dealers, new epyx fleet data shows

The data is taken from epyx’s 1link Service Network, used by UK fleets to process almost 20,000 company car, van and truck service, maintenance and repair (SMR) job sheets every day. The network covers fleets totalling almost five million vehicles and works with more than 8,500 suppliers.

Charlie Brooks, chief operating officer at epyx, said: “Franchised dealers have in the past tended to repair vehicles faster than independents, meaning shorter VOR times – but our latest data shows this gap has narrowed, with independents becoming faster, and official repairers slowing.

“However, these two trends are far from uniform. While many independents are working hard to reduce their VOR times, not all garages in the sector are making gains. Similarly, while some franchisees are seeing their figures fall, others are improving. It’s a complex overall situation.”

He added that over the last few years, epyx had seen a general move by fleets towards greater use of independents, a shift largely driven by keener pricing and increasing professionalism.

“Fleet managers recognise that VOR brings a significant cost in terms of lost operational time, and often use our data and intelligence to help select the right repairers, balancing factors such as cost, capability and downtime. This has driven more business towards independents although again, the trend is far from uniform. Often, a franchise is the best solution.”

Overall, epyx has seen a slight reduction in VOR times over the 12 months from October 2025, from an average of 1.68 to 1.58 days, although there have been month-to-month fluctuations.

Charlie explained: “Our view is that VOR is falling over time, but this is an area of SMR where demand can sometimes rise or fall with little explanation. For example, May’s 1.52 days jumped to 1.85 days in June.”

About epyx

Based in Meriden, Warwickshire, epyx has been a leader in digital solutions for the automotive sector for more than two decades, and today operates not just in the UK but also Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland.

Its market-defining products are the 1link platforms, which improve the efficiency of car and van fleet operators and their suppliers, covering key functions including vehicle maintenance, hire and remarketing. These have been adopted by major fleets totalling more than seven million vehicles internationally, over 37,000 garages and other service providers, and nearly all major motor manufacturers on behalf of their franchise networks.

Many of epyx’s customers have worked with the business almost since the company’s inception, with expert account management helping to continually improve processes in a highly dynamic sector, while also delivering data that creates new insights and enables innovations to be conceived and implemented.

epyx is part of Corpay (NYSE: CPAY), a global S&P500 corporate payments company that helps businesses and consumers pay expenses in a simple, controlled manner.

About Corpay

Corpay (NYSE: CPAY) is a global S&P500 corporate payments company that helps businesses and consumers pay expenses in a simple, controlled manner. Corpay’s suite of modern payment solutions help its customers better manage vehicle-related expenses (like fuelling and parking), travel expenses (like hotel bookings) and payables (like paying vendors). This results in our customers saving time and ultimately spending less. To learn more visit www.corpay.com.