OWNERS of electric cars may have problems getting them repaired at independent garages because the industry in Scotland is suffering from a lack of qualified repairers, it has emerged.

Sales of cars such as the Nissan Leaf, Tesla vehicles and the Kia Soul have doubled since last year.

It is estimated there are 3,575 electric cars and vans on the roads and licensed in Scotland, compared to 2,050 in 2015.

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However, research commissioned for the industry body, the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), has found there are just 1,000 repairers across the UK qualified to fix them if they break down or need serviced.

It represents just under half a per cent of the 250,000 mechanics working on cars and vans commercially.

It is thought this figure includes just 50 people in Scotland who are trained to fix the cars’ complex electronics.

Steve Nash, IMI chief executive, said those qualified to work on high voltage electrics are all employed by the vehicle manufacturers.

He says this means many motorists will be priced out of the ultra low emission vehicles (Ulevs) market unless small repair businesses are helped to make the investment in skills needed to provide consumers with choice and value for money.

It has produced a report titled, On The Road To Sustainable Growth, which claims manufacturers hold the technical knowledge underpinning new Ulevs developments and with this “comes power over the franchised and authorised repairers”.

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Insurance premiums for electric vehicles – including fully electric, plug in hybrid and hybrid vehicles – are already 30 to 50 per cent higher than diesel cars because of the lack of qualified repairers.

More than 90 per cent of independent garages say they would need to retrain existing technicians to undertake work on these vehicles.

And there are also serious safety risks for unskilled mechanics attempting to work on machines, which could have a fatal 600 volts of electricity flowing through them.

Doug Robertson, chairman of the Electric Vehicle Association Scotland, said training in the independent sector was something that would be needed as the industry developed.

He said: “It’s early days. Servicing and maintenance is usually kept in-house, so it’s something that is needed for competition.

“When there are many more being used there will be a bigger demand for independents, as more come back for the second-hand market, for instance, for first time buyers, then there will be a bigger requirement for independents to get involved.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We are committed to freeing Scotland’s towns, cities and communities from the damaging emissions from fossil-fuelled vehicles by 2050 and the widespread adoption of Ulevs will be vital if we are to realise this vision.

“As well as encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles, the Scottish Government and our partners already provide support and funding for training in the motor industry.”

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Meanwhile, Morrisons will spark a supermarket price war today by slashing petrol prices to below £1-a-litre for the first time since June. .

Customers spending more than £50 in stores will be able to fill their cars with unleaded petrol for 99.9p a litre, a 10p cut on yesterday’s price.

The offer will be available until December 3.