Preparing Your Workshop for Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles are already in the national fleet in numbers, and they are now old enough to be out of warranty and looking for an independent garage. The workshops that can take them have a growing customer base with relatively little competition for it.

Getting ready is less about buying everything at once and more about understanding what genuinely changes. Some of it is equipment. A good deal of it is training, procedure and layout.

They are heavier, and it matters

An electric vehicle typically weighs 20 to 30% more than the equivalent petrol or diesel model, almost entirely because of the battery. Packs themselves commonly run from around 400kg to over 700kg.

The practical consequences for a workshop:

• Lift capacity that was comfortable may now be marginal. A mid-size electric SUV can weigh what a large diesel 4x4 did a decade ago. Our guide to choosing lifting capacity covers specifying with margin.
• Jacks, stands and support equipment rated for older cars may not be adequate.
• Weight distribution differs. Battery mass sits low and central, which changes how the vehicle balances on the arms.

Lifting points are the critical change

This is where the most expensive mistakes happen. The battery pack forms a large flat structure across the floor of the vehicle, and it is not a lifting point. Manufacturers specify particular reinforced positions, and contact anywhere else risks damaging a pack that costs a substantial fraction of the vehicle's value.

What this means in the bay:

• Check the manufacturer's lifting points for every model. Not once, per model — they are not consistent between makes.
• Pad and adaptor arrangements matter. Low-profile pads and jointed or offset adaptors exist precisely to reach the specified points without fouling the pack.
• Arm reach and clearance. Some EV-specific lifts use adapted arms to give clear access under the pack.
• Never improvise with packing to make a pad reach.

If you are buying a lift now and expect EV work, raise this at the specification stage rather than discovering the limitation afterwards.

High voltage safety

This is the part that cannot be improvised. Working on or near the high voltage system requires trained people, correct equipment and defined procedures.

The baseline most workshops establish:

• Trained technicians, at an appropriate level for the work being done — awareness for those working around EVs, and full high voltage qualification for anyone isolating or working on the system.
• Insulated tools and PPE, including gloves rated and in-date, with a testing and inspection regime.
• A designated area with barriers and signage while a vehicle is isolated, so nobody wanders into live work.
• Written procedures for isolation, lock-off and re-energising.
• Storage and quarantine arrangements for a damaged battery, which is a fire risk requiring space and distance.
• A first aid and emergency plan appropriate to electrical injury.

Take advice suited to your premises rather than working from a checklist. The insurance and liability position deserves a conversation with your broker too.

What you can do without going all in

Plenty of EV work needs no high voltage access at all. Tyres, brakes, suspension, steering, alignment, air conditioning, cabin filters, wipers, twelve volt electrics and bodywork are all ordinary jobs — provided the vehicle is lifted correctly.

So a sensible staged approach:

1. Get the lifting right first. Correct points, correct adaptors, adequate capacity. This alone lets you service EVs safely.
2. Train for awareness so everyone in the workshop knows what not to touch.
3. Add alignment and tyre capability if you do not have it — heavier vehicles wear tyres faster, and it is high-margin work.
4. Then decide on high voltage capability, once you know the volume you are seeing.

Most independents can take a large share of EV work at step one. Step four is a bigger commitment and does not have to come first.

Battery work is a separate decision

Removing and handling packs is a specialism. It requires a rated battery lifting table, high voltage qualification, storage arrangements, and space to work. It is a real opportunity as the fleet ages, but it is a different business from servicing EVs, and worth treating as such.

The rest of the workshop

• Charging. A charge point is genuinely useful for road testing and handovers, and needs planning into your supply — see workshop power and air.
• Diagnostics. Your platform needs current EV coverage.
• Air conditioning. Many EVs use heat pump systems and R1234yf refrigerant.
• Tyres. EV fitments are often wider and heavier — check your equipment copes, per our tyre changer guide.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a special lift for electric vehicles?

Not necessarily, but you need adequate capacity and pads or adaptors that reach the manufacturer's specified lifting points without contacting the battery pack. Raise EV work when specifying a new lift.

Where do you lift an electric vehicle?

Only at the manufacturer's designated points, which are reinforced positions clear of the battery pack. They vary between makes and models, so check for each vehicle.

How much heavier are electric vehicles?

Typically 20 to 30% more than the equivalent combustion model, with packs alone commonly running from around 400kg to over 700kg.

Can I service an EV without high voltage training?

You can carry out work that does not involve the high voltage system — tyres, brakes, suspension, alignment, air conditioning and bodywork — provided the vehicle is lifted correctly and staff have awareness training. Isolating or working on the high voltage system requires proper qualification.

What is the first thing a garage should do to get EV ready?

Sort the lifting. Correct points, correct adaptors and adequate capacity let you take most EV servicing safely. High voltage capability can follow once you know the volume.

Specifying for EV work

Tell us the electric models you expect to see and we will specify pads, adaptors and capacity against them rather than against a generic car. Browse our two-post and four-post lifts, book a free site survey, or request a quote and we will reply within one working day.