Car mechanic cost per hour
A mechanic costs on average £39 per hour in the UK. The rate can vary depending on your region and the size of the garage (dealerships etc) and can range from £20 to £60 per hour. An MOT for a car in the UK costs a maximum of £54.85 and takes up to an hour. Most independent garages will be charging around £50.
Tip: Making sure you service your car or bike annually guarantees that when it’s time for a yearly MOT, your car should be well maintained with no surprise issues, ensuring the car will easily pass its MOT and keeping you safe on the road every year.
To take the stress out of finding a reputable car mechanic at the right price get a quote for your car service or repair with HaMuch.
Car mechanic cost per day
The average daily rate for a mechanic is £245 per day. Independent and mobile mechanics will offer better rates than dealerships because their overheads are lower. Day rates can range from as little as £150 to £495 and expect to pay more for a Ferrari specialist than your local mobile mechanic. Choosing where to service your vehicle depends on various factors. Some car owners prefer to visit the makes dealers as they think it looks better for car resale, while others choose a specialist garage. Your annual (full or interim) service will start from around £150 for a small car up to over £300 for larger and luxury vehicles.
Get a quote for a car service using HaMuch and get the best valued mechanic in your local area by comparing rates and checking availability. It pays to shop around.
Choosing a garage mechanic
When choosing a garage for car repairs or a service, speak to a few car mechanics to compare pricing and also discover what type of service and materials are included. i.e. oil brand, tyres, brake pads and wipers. Some garages will also clean your car as part of the service. Most car mechanics will ask for payment if they have to collect your motor vehicle. If you are needing to put the cost on a credit card, check beforehand they accept card payments and not only cash or bank transfers.
If you are shopping around for annual service quotes, you need to decide if it is a Full Service or an Interim Service that is needed. The car mechanic can usually help you with this based on your mileage and what service was logged the year before. Annual services often are priced for a set of standard fixes. Interim services include; engine oil, oil filter change, checking of tyres, brakes, topping up power steering oil and screen wash, running diagnostics, road testing and various exterior / interior / under bonnet / engine / under vehicle checks… whereas a full service would include all of this plus wheel alignment, air filter change, topping up the windscreen fluid and clutch fluid plus even more exterior / interior / under bonnet / engine / under vehicle checks.
Aside from standard service price, garages usually have a set price for running diagnostics on your car, to replace a car battery, to fit new tyres, to replace an old exhaust or to charge the air conditioning. To quote for all of these additional services they only need your vehicle registration to look up the make and model of your car. The mechanic can then quote a price based on the parts and type of service required.
It is always recommended practice to ask around your area, whether it is via a local Facebook group or a Google search to see what kind of reviews that garage has, to see what their other customers have had to say about them. Do not be put off if there are one or two negative reviews as the majority of people only leave a review when it is to complain rather than a positive review, so be more on the look-out for how many positive reviews they have received from your community.
When the work has been completed and it is time to pay, make sure that there is a detailed invoice showing the break-down of the work carried out. Every little detail, no matter how small, that they have agreed e.g. changing spark plugs or fitting new windscreen wipers, needs to be on the invoice. This helps add to the value of the car when it comes to the resale if you have a history of services, replacements and repairs from trusted garages all documented in a folder, ready to pass on to the new owner. Lasty, if your car / van was booked in for a service, do remember to leave the logbook in a visible position (e.g. the front passenger seat) and before you drive off check that the garage has stamped to record the service in your logbook to save you having to drive back and ask them.
How much does a car mechanic cost?
MOT cost
There is a cap on the price for an MOT. If you are in need of a service it would be a good idea to get the MOT performed at the same time. Currently the ceiling price is £29.65 for a motorcycle and £54.85 for a car or van. You need to get an MOT when the vehicle is 3 years old. The garage might give you a special price to complete the service and MOT together. You don't pay VAT on an MOT.
| Vehicle class | Age first MOT needed (years) | Maximum MOT fee | |
| Motorcycle (engine size up to 200cc) | 1 | 3 | £29.65 |
| Motorcycle (engine size over 200cc) | 2 | 3 | £29.65 |
| Cars (up to 8 passenger seats) | 4 | 3 | £54.85 |
Car service cost
In general, a service is whichever comes first, 5000 miles or a year since the last service, with it alternating yearly from interim service one year and the next year being a full service at the mark of 10,000 miles or two years since the last full service.
Prices vary but an average guideline price for a medium sized car is £200. A small car can be less, even £100 less depending on the type of service. Servicing expensive cars tends to cost more and you can pay up to £400.
Tip: Always follow your vehicle's manufacturer’s service schedule. Toyota cars still under warranty are best serviced at a Toyota approved dealership to not void the warranty period. Toyota will want the car serviced with genuine Toyota parts rather than no-name brands or inferior quality fitted. Car electronics are now smart enough to warn us (via their computerised system) when they are due for a service with a countdown usually giving at least a month or two’s notice.
Car repair cost
If it is not a service that you are booking your car or van in for, but rather a repair, days leading to the booking with the garage, pay particular attention to how the car or van responds on the road, any noises it might be making or jerking or lack of smoothness with steering, e.g. rather than describe a noise by the tyres, prepare more detail to pass on to the car mechanic such as a clucking sound coming from front right tyre... this will save time in the garage going through a longer process of elimination to discover the fault on your car or van which means overall you will have a smaller bill to pay. For any maintenance work that your car or van needs, be sure to give the car mechanic a history of that work, eg if it is that your air-conditioning needs topping up, mention when last it was re-gassed so that the car mechanic will be aware if it is the usual amount of air leaking out over the years or if it is leaking out more than it should.
Car service and repair costs
| Job | Estimate |
| Replacement exhaust cost to supply and fit | £180 |
| Cost to replace brake pads and discs | £250 |
| MOT cost | £50 |
| Clutch replacement cost | £550 |
| Full annual car service cost | £180 |
| Diagnostics | £60 |
| Air-con re-gas | £70 |
| Brake fluid | £60 |
| Car batteries to fit and supply | £140 |
| Interim annual service | £150 |
| Yearly MOT with MOT certificate | £50 |
| Oil change only | £30 |
| Oil and filter change | £100 |
| Wheel balancing | £40 |
| Wheel alignment | £60 |
Cheap car insurance renewal
| Job | Estimate |
| Ford Fiesta car insurance | £45.00 per month |
| Ford Focus car insurance | £53.06 per month |
| Ford Mondeo car insurance | £62.95 per month |
| Ford Kuga car insurance | £75.00 per month |
| VW Golf car insurance | £52.75 per month |
| Vauxhall Corsa car Insurance | £51.39 per month |
| Nissan Qashqai car insurance | £52.79 per month |
| Vauxhall Astra car insurance | £49.46 per month |
| Nissan Juke car insurance | £57.14 per month |
| Volkswagen Polo car insurance | £50.29 per month |
Cheap van insurance renewal
| Job | Estimate |
| Cheap van insurance | £45.00 per month |
| Cheap Ford transit custom van insurance | £76.18 per month |
| Citroen Relay van insurance | £77.02 per month |
| Volkswagen Transporter van insurance | £84.45 per month |
| Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van insurance | £111.80 per month |
| Vauxhall Vivaro van insurance | £67.76 per month |