The repairer's organisation MVRA reports that more new members joined in the last quarter of 2003 months than at any point in the last three years.

New members are joining at a rate of between 25 and 30 a month. MVRA member retention is now running at a monthly average of 88%. The MVRA says new members come from all repair disciplines - bodyshop, mechanical, MoT and motorcycle - with new MoT members accounting for around 35% of the total of new members. (MVRA recently parted company with the RMI and VBRA in defending repairers' right to offer free or discounted MoT tests.)