The impact of the Massachusetts 2012 right to repair law on small, independent auto repair shops

Abstract

ABSTRACT In 2012, the State of Massachusetts enacted a law known as the ‘Right to Repair’ requiring automakers to share vital vehicle information and data with consumers and small auto repair shops for maintenance and repair purposes. This paper assesses the impact of this law on the number and percentage of small repair shops in the state. The results of a synthetic control and a difference-in-differences analysis show that the law led to increases in the number and market share of small auto repair shops.