The technical control market - France

1.2 The growing global market

According to Research&Markets, the global market for automotive technical inspection services is valued at $**.* billion in ****. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of *.*% over the period ****-****, reaching $**.* billion in ****.

Global market size for technical inspection and certification services in the automotive sector World, **** - ****, in billions of USD Source: ****

The main factor driving market growth worldwide is the increasing adoption by many governments of stricter regulations concerning the automotive sector, particularly in the areas of safety and the environment. What's more, as cars incorporate more and more electronic devices, the complexity of controls is increasing, influencing the price of supply and therefore the sector's revenues.

1.3 A dynamic national market

Players in the automotive technical inspection market are listed under NAF code **.**A. This class includes :

Periodic inspection of all types of motor vehicles, with issue of a certificate

but does not include :

vehicle repair appraisal of damage on behalf of insurance companies

Insee provides the market size in ****, as well as theannual sales index for the corresponding NAF code.

This market size amounted to *.*** billion euros in ****. This figure can be used to estimate the size of the market in **** in France, by multiplying it by the sales index for the year ****, also indicated by Insee, then divided by the sales index for ****.it should be noted that the sales index is given here per month by Insee, and that an average has therefore been taken to obtain the annual sales index.

As a result, the market size for roadworthiness testing will reach *.*** billion euros in ****, representing an increase of *.*% over ****. What's more, between **** and ****, the market grew by **.*%. It was particularly in ****, following the reform of the new vehicle roadworthiness test, that the market surged(***). In fact, according to simplauto, technical inspection fees rose by **.*% between **** and ****.

Size of the French vehicle inspection market France, **** - ****, in billions of ...

2.1 The French car fleet

The number of passenger cars on the road in France has been rising steadily for the past decade. Indeed, while the number of private cars in the national fleet stood at **.*** million in ****, there will be **.*** million cars on the road in ****, an increase of *% in ** years.

Passenger car fleet France, **** - ****, in millions Source: ****

Furthermore, in ****, the French vehicle fleet, including all types of vehicles, comprised **.* million passenger cars, *.* million light commercial vehicles (***), ***,*** heavy goods vehicles and **,*** buses and coaches on the road.[***].

In terms of vehicle sales, the following graph shows the high proportion of used vehicle sales. In fact, used car registrations will total *.** million in ****, compared with *.** million for new cars. Remember that cars over * years old destined for sale must have undergone their last roadworthiness test within the last * months.

We can also see that while used car transactions have tended to increase since ****, they have tended to decrease for new cars over the last decade.

Trend in new and used passenger car registrations France, ****-****, in millions of vehicles Source: ****

In addition, the average age of passenger cars is tending to increase. On January *, ****, the average age of French cars will be **.* years, compared with ...

2.2 Vehicles subject to roadworthiness tests

Motor vehicle roadworthiness tests mainly concern four situations:[***]

During the * months preceding the *ᵉ anniversary of the *ʳᵉ registration of the vehicle. Every * years after the *st technical inspection Cars more than * years old, intended for a transaction, and whose last inspection is more than * months old Recovery vehicles, vehicles used for land-based medical transport, cabs and chauffeur-driven transport vehicles, and vehicles with fewer than ** seats, including the driver, used for public passenger transport must be inspected annually, starting on the first anniversary of the vehicle's registration.

In ****, the **,***,*** technical inspections (***) carried out on passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, vehicles subject to specific regulations and vintage vehicles are broken down as follows:

**,***,*** passenger car inspections (***) *,***,*** checks on light commercial vehicles (***) ***,*** checks on vehicles subject to specific regulations (***) **,*** inspections of classic vehicles (***)

Breakdown of technical inspections by vehicle type France, ****, in Source: ****

2.3 Increase in the number of technical inspections carried out

After rising between **** and **** (***), the number of technical inspections carried out fell slightly in **** and ****, before rising again in **** to reach **.*** million inspections.

Change in annual number of roadworthiness tests France, **** - ****, in millions of inspections Source: ****

The **,***,*** technical inspections carried out in **** are broken down as follows:

**.*% for Periodic Technical Inspections (***) **.*% for Counter-inspections (***) *.*% for Supplementary Technical Inspections, also known as anti-pollution inspections, which concern only light commercial vehicles (***) *.**% for Supplementary Counter-Visits, in the event of failure to pass the Supplementary Technical Inspection (***)

Breakdown of technical inspections by type France, ****, in Source: ****

The months with the highest number of inspections are March and June (***) has the lowest number.

In addition, the majority (***) of Periodic Technical Inspections were carried out on diesel vehicles in ****, and **.**% on petrol vehicles.

2.4 Other demand characteristics

This section looks at the distribution of vehicles passing roadworthiness tests, by age group, and the geographical distribution of tests:

Breakdown by age group

The majority of periodic technical inspections concern vehicles over ** years old (***), while the proportion of technical inspections concerning vehicles in the age brackets ]*-*] years and [*-**[ years represents **.**% and **.**% of inspections respectively.

Breakdown of periodic technical inspections by vehicle age group France, ****, in Source: ****

The average age of vehicles inspected in **** was **.* years. This figure is trending upwards, since it was **.* years in **** and **.* in ****.

Geographical distribution

The map and table below show the geographical distribution of periodic technical inspections (***). The Nord, Bouches-du-Rhône and Gironde departments have the highest number of PTCs. The number of PTCs is lower in central France, where population density is lower.

Source: ****

3.1 Control centers and controllers

The number of approved inspection centers has been rising steadily over the past decade. Indeed, while the number of inspections was *,*** in ****, it will now be *,*** in ****. In ****, compared with ****, *** centers were newly approved, compared with *** whose approval was cancelled.

What's more, of the *,*** inspection centers at December **, ****, only *,*** (***) are not part of a network.

Number of approved inspection centers France, **** - **** Source: ****

The motor vehicle inspection center sector is listed under NAF code **.**A: "Motor vehicle inspection". based on this code and Urssaf data, we can study changes in the number of employees in the sector since ****. The graph below shows that the number of employees in the sector has been growing steadily for over a decade, rising from **,*** in **** to **,*** in ****, an increase of **.*% over the period. What's more, according to ANFA (***), the sector is short-staffed, and would need around *,*** new controllers.

Workforce trends in the vehicle inspection center sector France, **** - ****, in units Source: ****

to analyze the geographical distribution of automotive service centers, we use the NAF code **.**A: "Contrôle technique automobile" (***) and URSSAF data. The map and table below show the number of establishments registered under this NAF code. It can be seen that the number ...

3.2 Networks dominate the market

According toUTAC -OTC, of the *,*** control centers on December **, ****, only *,*** (***) are not part of a network. In fact, centers belonging to control networks dominate the French market. The table below lists the main player networks, ranked by number of control centers:

Source: ****

The * market leaders in France are two foreign groups: SGS (***). The leading French player, Sakar, comes third. What's more, most of the companies present on the national market are international firms operating in the certification sector in other fields. Of the * main players, only Sakar, a French group, specializes in technical inspection.

it's also worth noting that these inspection networks differ in the way they operate.while the members of brands such as Auto Sécurité and Securitest follow the affiliation model, Auto Bilan Systems and Auto'Nome are networks of independents.

4.1 Typology of failures

In ****, failures subject to the obligation to carry out a counter-inspection will account for almost **% of all inspections. **.**% for major defects, and *.** for critical defects. (***)

Percentage of vehicles declared non-compliant France, ****, in Source: ****

Roadworthiness tests cover ** functions, *** checkpoints and *** different possible failures, of which *** lead to a counter-inspection, including *** major failures and *** critical failures.

Main failures requiring a counter-inspection France ****, in Source: ****

4.2 Analysis of center prices

Technical inspection fees are freely set by professionals and are therefore not regulated. [***]

Simplauto publishes an annual barometer on the price of roadworthiness tests in France. This analysis was carried out in June **** among *,*** centers.

According to this barometer, the average price of roadworthiness tests for gasoline or diesel passenger cars is €**.**. Prices have been very stable since **** (***) following the May **** technical inspection reform, the highest increase ever recorded.

What's more, the price of a technical inspection can vary widely (***) for the same service.

There are also variations according to vehicle type:

Average price of technical inspection by vehicle type France, ****, in Source: ****

There are also price differences according to fuel type. Electric, hybrid and LPG-powered vehicles are priced *.**%, *.**% and **.**% more than diesel and petrol vehicles respectively:

Average price of roadworthiness tests by fuel type France, ****, in euros Source: ****

The price of roadworthiness tests can also vary widely by département, as shown in the following map and table:

Source: ****

Source: ****

The average cost of inspections is highest in Haute-Savoie (***).

Reverse inspections are also payable :

Only *% of centers offer this service. Depending on the type, the median price is €** or €**.

In addition, the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Recovery ...

5.1 Regulations

Following the decree of June **, **** on the introduction and organization of roadworthiness testing for vehicles weighing up to *.* tonnes, roadworthiness testing has been compulsory since January *, ****, when the decree came into force.

More recently, roadworthiness testing has been reformed. Indeed, thedecree of March *, ****, implemented since May ** , ****, which follows the transposition of a European directive of April ****, introduces a stricter technical inspection for vehicles under *.* tons. Indeed, the new regulations increase the number of inspection points to be checked from *** to ***, with *** potential failures compared with *** previously.

Prior to this, roadworthiness testing had been tightened up following the decree of June **, ****, which tightened up checks on emissions of atmospheric pollutants during roadworthiness testing. Another notable change took place on July *, ****, concerning diesel-powered cars, which have since been subject to tighter checks on exhaust fumes. [***]

In addition, failure to undergo a roadworthiness test or a favorable counter-check constitutes an infringement of the Highway Code, punishable by a fine of €***. The vehicle may also be immobilized by the police until the technical inspection has been carried out. [***]

Approval required to operate as an inspector

Approval for inspection center facilities is issued by the prefect of the department in which the center is located. [***]

For ...

5.2 Imbroglio surrounding the technical inspection of motorized two-wheelers

On August *, ****, a decree(***), which were due to come into force in January ****. However, on July **, ****, decree no. ****-**** repealed the decree of August *, ****.

Nevertheless, by decision of the Conseil d'Etat on October **, ****, the decree of July **, **** repealing the decree of August *, **** was in turn annulled. As a result, the decree of August *, ****, providing for roadworthiness testing of motorized two-wheeled vehicles, has been reinstated (***).

Thus, although some uncertainty remains at the time of writing, roadworthiness testing for two-wheelers should be effective from January *, ****. However, it is quite possible that inspection centers will not be able to accommodate this new public in such a short space of time. Two-wheeler garages and dealers could provide an alternative, as they are equipped to handle this type of vehicle.

The vehicles concerned are all motorized two-wheelers over *** cm³.

6. Segmentation

• DEKRA Automotive France Norisko
• Securitest France (SGS groupe)
• Auto Sécurité France (SGS Groupe)
• SGS
• Autovision Sakar
• Autosur Secta