The review is narrow on paper and broad in implication. At issue is whether manufacturers may sell directly to buyers without a franchised dealer network, a question the country has never had to answer head-on.

What the dealers argue

The trade bodies make a service case rather than a sales one: a national network of independent businesses handles warranty work, recalls and part-exchange in a way a handful of company-owned centres would not.

The counter-argument is price transparency. A fixed published figure removes a negotiation most buyers dislike and a margin most buyers cannot see.

Whatever is decided will apply to far more than one manufacturer. Several established makers have already announced their own direct models for electric ranges.