EV paint repair risks are quickly moving from niche technical concern to mainstream workshop issue. For motor trade businesses, the growth in electric vehicles is not just changing what arrives on the ramp. It is changing how garages approach heat, battery exposure, staff training and workshop controls. AXA UK Commercial has warned that traditional paint booth curing processes can create serious hazards for EVs if repair methods have not been updated.
That warning lands at a time when EV volumes are no longer small enough to ignore. At the end of February 2026, there were more than 1.88 million fully electric cars on UK roads, equal to about 5.5% of the national car parc. In 2025, 473,348 new battery-electric cars were registered in the UK, giving BEVs a 23.4% share of the new car market, and SMMT expects the BEV market to grow again in 2026.
Why EV paint repair risks now matter to everyday workshop operations
The issue AXA has highlighted is simple enough on paper. Traditional paint booths often run at temperatures above 50°C. That may be routine for petrol and diesel vehicles, but it can be a very different story for an EV. AXA says exposure to high temperatures can damage the battery and high-voltage components, creating a risk of shorting, fire or even explosion if the vehicle is not handled in line with manufacturer guidance.
For garages, that turns EV repair risks for garages into something very practical. This is not only about major structural work. AXA’s warning makes clear that even relatively ordinary panel and paint jobs can become an EV paint booth fire risk if the curing method, temperature monitoring and repair process have not been adapted. That matters for EV repair safety, bodyshop fire safety and the quality of day-to-day electric vehicle repair work.
The wider issue is repair readiness, not just paint booths
There is also a bigger commercial story behind this. Research cited by FWD Consulting suggests UK businesses may already be facing more than £461 million a year in EV write-off costs, with around one in five collision-damaged EVs written off after relatively minor impacts. The concern is not just vehicle complexity. It is the gap between the number of EVs on the road and the number of repairers with the training, tooling and battery diagnostics needed to repair them with confidence.
That is where this becomes relevant to motor trade insurance as much as workshop practice. If repair capability lags behind vehicle adoption, claims costs, downtime and liability questions can all become more difficult. For brokers and insured motor trade firms alike, the challenge is less about whether EV work is possible and more about whether the business can evidence safe processes around it.
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What garages should be doing now
AXA’s guidance points towards a sensible starting list. Garages should follow OEM instructions before an EV enters the oven, keep curing temperatures within manufacturer limits, and use real-time temperature monitoring around critical components. The insurer also highlights alternatives such as short-wave electric infrared systems and low-temperature paint for EVs, which reduce the need to heat the whole vehicle.
From a risk perspective, this is really about battery-safe vehicle repairs and better electric vehicle bodyshop risk management. That means trained technicians, clear isolation procedures, the shortest effective curing cycles, proper ventilation, suitable PPE and documented controls rather than informal workarounds. The policy backdrop is not slowing down, either: the government has confirmed the 2030 phase-out for new petrol and diesel cars, with hybrids allowed until 2035.