Customers Say ‘Yes’ to Small Aftersales Fees
01 May 2025 by Curtis Hutchinson
JudgeService research finds aftersales customers believe “small fees” for vehicle collections, courtesy cars and valeting are fair
Most servicing customers believe it is fair to be charged small fees for cars being collected and delivered, courtesy vehicles and valeting.
Customer research by JudgeService, revealed at today’s NFDA Driving Automotive conference in London, found franchised and independent customers had similar views on charges added by dealers and garages.
The convenience of vehicle collections and deliveries is the most popular chargeable option offered by dealers with over half (52%) of franchised customers saying paying a small fee was fair, compared to 22% who said it was not.
Independent garage customers had similar views with 53% believing it was fair, 20% saying it was not.
The option to pay for courtesy cars was judged to be fair by 46% of franchised customers, although 28% disagreed. For independent garage customers 44% said it was fair, although a third disagreed.
When it comes to paying for having their cars valeted following a service, franchised customers were more evenly split between those who believed it was fair (39%) and those who did not (38%).
However, independent garage customers placed more value on having their cars cleaned with 43% believing a small charge was fair, compared to 32% who disagreed.
“Despite the ongoing cost of living crisis, the research shows how most customers value being offered low-cost extras that ensure convenience when their cars are being serviced,” said Neil Addley, Managing Director of JudgeService.
“After all as consumers they have become used to paying for upgrades on their mobile and streaming packages.”
“Our message to dealers is that there is an opportunity to recoup some costs to make the aftersales experience as smooth as possible but to do so in a measured way to keep customers on side, this could be an add-on on the day or a slightly premium payment on a service plan,” he said.
JudgeService’s research polled the views of 500 franchised dealer customers and 500 customers of independent garages in March and April to identify current attitudes towards dealers and buying intent.
Further details and comments available from Neil Addley on 07795 665927 or neil@judgeservice.com.
About JudgeService
Launched in 2011 by Neil Addley, JudgeService is the UK’s only customer review platform developed exclusively for the car retailing sector. By ensuring all reviews are verified and genuine, JudgeService builds a solid foundation of trust and respect between customers and sellers enabling car retailers to actively manage their online reputations.
JudgeService shares granular insight reports with dealers to help them identify opportunities to improve customer satisfaction levels, with many achieving 100% recommendation scores.
Based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, JudgeService has published over 1 million customer reviews and is used by over 1,000 franchised, independent and car supermarket sites across the UK.
Issued by Curtis Hutchinson Communications
