As cost pressures grow, the global automotive aftermarket looks for a competitive edge.
Powering Europe forward
Why the independent automotive aftermarket matters more than ever
Europe's independent automotive aftermarket is at an inflection point. The sector keeps 369 million vehicles safe, affordable, and roadworthy - and its contribution to the continent's economy runs far deeper than market revenues suggest. Yet that contribution is now under pressure: software-defined vehicles are shifting control over repair data upstream, new market entrants are intensifying competition, and capability gaps are widening across the workshop base. With the right strategic decisions, Europe can preserve a strong, competitive independent aftermarket that serves consumers, supports OEMs, and anchors industrial value creation across the continent. But action is needed - from industry and policymakers alike. We examine what the independent aftermarket truly contributes, what threatens it, and what OEMs, IAM players, and policymakers must do to secure its future.
Key insights from this study:
• The IAM holds 64% of Europe's EUR 156 billion aftermarket and grew its share between 2021 and 2025, despite rising vehicle complexity.
• System-level value far exceeds direct revenues: 314 billion additional km/year, EUR 65 billion in residual-value effects, EUR 23 billion from reduced downtime.
• Constrained access to vehicle data and software functions is the IAM's most acute pressure and a European competitiveness issue.
• EV and ADAS repair readiness is rising but uneven: full EV capability ranges from 49% of workshops in Spain to 70% in Italy.
• Remanufactured parts are projected to grow from 10% to 17% of distributor sales by 2030.
"The IAM is strengthening its position as the core channel for maintaining Europe's vehicle parc across age segments, even as vehicles become more complex."
A contribution larger than direct revenues suggest
Independent workshops account for more than 80% of all workshop outlets across Europe, making the IAM the dominant channel for vehicle repair on the continent. Between 2021 and 2025, consolidated aftermarket spare parts value grew from around EUR 129 billion to EUR 156 billion, at an annual growth rate of 4.9%. The IAM's market share rose from 61.8% to 64.1% over the same period, while OEM-controlled channels declined.
This growth was not driven by network expansion. The total number of workshop outlets across Europe declined slightly over the period. Growth primarily reflects higher value intensity per outlet, rising vehicle complexity, and sustained demand across an aging installed base ‑ with Europe's average passenger car age increasing from 11.9 to 12.9 years between 2020 and 2024. Direct market share, however, captures only part of the IAM's contribution. Lower running costs, stronger residual values, and reduced vehicle downtime add up to an economic footprint considerably larger than parts and service revenue alone.
Data access: the central challenge for software-defined vehicles
Software-defined vehicles are changing what independent repair requires. Data access, diagnostics, and in-vehicle functions are no longer peripheral to maintenance work ‑ coding, calibration, and software updates now form part of routine service. In practice, however, independent operators frequently face barriers that go beyond formal access rights. Fragmented OEM portals, certification requirements, and access fees slow down repair processes and add cost.
The consequences extend across the sector. Where independent operators lack practical access to the data and software functions needed for repairs, competition weakens, consumer choice narrows, and vehicle downtime rises. The study identifies this as the most acute structural pressure the IAM faces today. Remote service supplier models offer one practical response: by connecting local independent workshops to specialist expertise covering more than 90 vehicle brands, they allow complex software-related repairs to be carried out without requiring full in-house capability for every manufacturer environment.
"The IAM delivers on the OEM's promise of vehicle longevity and serviceability, while enabling a faster, more cost-efficient and age-adequate service that directly supports European competitiveness."
Six forces reshaping the independent aftermarket
Data access is one of six forces the study examines, but the others are equally significant. Electrification is raising the technical bar for independent workshops across Europe. Full EV repair capability varies from 49% of workshops in Spain to 70% in Italy, and workshops that cannot keep pace risk losing complex repair work to authorized networks by default. Import competition and geopolitical supply-chain uncertainty are adding further pressure on Europe-based value creation, compounded by the arrival of Chinese OEMs forecast to reach around 15% of new-vehicle sales in Europe by 2035.
The picture is not one-sided. Artificial intelligence makes it possible to put decades of accumulated repair experience to practical use at scale. Customer expectations are shifting in ways that open professional mobility segments that independent operators have historically found difficult to enter. And the momentum behind circular parts is growing: the share of remanufactured components in distributor sales is projected to rise from 10% today to 17% by 2030.
Read the full report to find out how these six forces are reshaping the IAM value chain and what OEMs, suppliers, distributors, workshops, and policymakers need to do in response.
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