See local car mechanics rates for 2024

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Car mechanic cost per hour

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.

MOT fee caps for the UK
  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

JobEstimate
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
BMW 3 Series car insurance £44.22 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 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

Rates for other trades

Car Mechanic hourly rate and daily rate
Car Mechanic: Average Hourly and Daily Rates in the UK for 2024 (excluding VAT or callout charges)
Location in UKHourly RateDaily Rate
Car Mechanic near Aberdeen£40£280
Car Mechanic near Amber Valley£40£260
Car Mechanic near Arun£48£334
Car Mechanic near Ashfield£39£256
Car Mechanic near Aylesbury Vale£45£227
Car Mechanic near Barnsley£34£233
Car Mechanic near Basildon£48£289
Car Mechanic near Basingstoke & Deane£48£298
Car Mechanic near Bassetlaw£37£263
Car Mechanic near Bath & North East Somerset£51£378
Car Mechanic near Bedford£42£245
Car Mechanic near Belfast£33£213
Car Mechanic near Birmingham£36£217
Car Mechanic near Blackburn£36£174
Car Mechanic near Blackpool£51£255
Car Mechanic near Bolton£37£234
Car Mechanic near Bournemouth£42£335
Car Mechanic near Bracknell Forest£47£286
Car Mechanic near Bradford£36£218
Car Mechanic near Braintree£49£222
Car Mechanic near Bridgend£41£266
Car Mechanic near Brighton£45£250
Car Mechanic near Bristol£53£392
Car Mechanic near Broxtowe£38£256
Car Mechanic near Bury£36£229
Car Mechanic near Caerphilly£41£265
Car Mechanic near Calderdale£36£200
Car Mechanic near Cambridge£40£350
Car Mechanic near Canterbury£38£240
Car Mechanic near Cardiff£41£272
Car Mechanic near Charnwood£33£197
Car Mechanic near Chelmsford£51£284
Car Mechanic near Cheltenham£41£272
Car Mechanic near Cherwell£62£228
Car Mechanic near Chester£43£311
Car Mechanic near Colchester£42£213
Car Mechanic near Conway£30£150
Car Mechanic near Coventry£38£287
Car Mechanic near Crewe & Nantwich£35£233
Car Mechanic near Dacorum£48£250
Car Mechanic near Derby£39£248
Car Mechanic near Doncaster£33£245
Car Mechanic near Dudley£35£212
Car Mechanic near Dundee£40£320
Car Mechanic near East Ayrshire£35£164
Car Mechanic near East Devon£39£278
Car Mechanic near East Dunbartonshire£31£196
Car Mechanic near East Hampshire£40£253
Car Mechanic near East Hertfordshire£44£275
Car Mechanic near East Lindsey£35£315
Car Mechanic near East Riding£35£250
Car Mechanic near Eastleigh£44£288
Car Mechanic near Edinburgh£20£155
Car Mechanic near Elmbridge£45£277
Car Mechanic near Epping Forest£49£272
Car Mechanic near Erewash£38£256
Car Mechanic near Exeter£38£257
Car Mechanic near Falkirk£26£191
Car Mechanic near Fife£30£250
Car Mechanic near Flintshire£44£319
Car Mechanic near Gateshead£35£151
Car Mechanic near Gedling£38£251
Car Mechanic near Glasgow£31£196
Car Mechanic near Gloucester£38£229
Car Mechanic near Guildford£50£340
Car Mechanic near Halton£39£279
Car Mechanic near Harrogate£34£219
Car Mechanic near Havant & Waterloo£48£348
Car Mechanic near Horsham£46£296
Car Mechanic near Ipswich£32£200
Car Mechanic near Isle of Wight£48£299
Car Mechanic near Kingston-upon-Hull£33£236
Car Mechanic near Kirklees£36£220
Car Mechanic near Knowsley£39£279
Car Mechanic near Lancaster£55£440
Car Mechanic near Leeds£35£221
Car Mechanic near Leicester£33£197
Car Mechanic near Lisburn£34£211
Car Mechanic near Liverpool£40£288
Car Mechanic near London£48£276
Car Mechanic near Luton£43£259
Car Mechanic near Macclesfield£35£236
Car Mechanic near Maidstone£40£197
Car Mechanic near Manchester£37£235
Car Mechanic near Mid Bedfordshire£43£254
Car Mechanic near Mid Sussex£45£260
Car Mechanic near Middlesbrough£40£275
Car Mechanic near Milton Keynes£41£234
Car Mechanic near Neath Port Talbot£37£215
Car Mechanic near New Forest£43£280
Car Mechanic near Newbury£48£298
Car Mechanic near Newcastle-under-Lyme£33£225
Car Mechanic near Newcastle-upon-Tyne£35£151
Car Mechanic near Newport£40£265
Car Mechanic near North Ayrshire£34£165
Car Mechanic near North East Lincolnshire£33£236
Car Mechanic near North Hertfordshire£44£265
Car Mechanic near North Lanarkshire£28£187
Car Mechanic near North Lincolnshire£32£231
Car Mechanic near North Somerset£48£343
Car Mechanic near North Tyneside£35£150
Car Mechanic near North Wiltshire£38£317
Car Mechanic near Northampton£28£178
Car Mechanic near Nottingham£38£256
Car Mechanic near Nuneaton & Bedworth£38£287
Car Mechanic near Oldham£37£229
Car Mechanic near Oxford£62£228
Car Mechanic near Plymouth£10£100
Car Mechanic near Poole£42£403
Car Mechanic near Portsmouth£50£324
Car Mechanic near Powys£28£220
Car Mechanic near Preston£40£171
Car Mechanic near Reading£49£316
Car Mechanic near Redcar & Cleveland£41£300
Car Mechanic near Reigate & Banstead£47£316
Car Mechanic near Renfrewshire£29£206
Car Mechanic near Rhondda, Cynon, Taff£46£274
Car Mechanic near Rochdale£37£222
Car Mechanic near Rotherham£32£215
Car Mechanic near Salford£37£234
Car Mechanic near Salisbury£44£294
Car Mechanic near Sandwell£35£212
Car Mechanic near Sefton£40£293
Car Mechanic near Sevenoaks£45£280
Car Mechanic near Sheffield£32£211
Car Mechanic near Slough£45£271
Car Mechanic near Solihull£36£249
Car Mechanic near South Ayrshire£34£165
Car Mechanic near South Bedfordshire£42£245
Car Mechanic near South Cambridgeshire£43£314
Car Mechanic near South Gloucestershire£54£412
Car Mechanic near South Lanarkshire£26£185
Car Mechanic near South Oxfordshire£52£274
Car Mechanic near South Somerset£41£291
Car Mechanic near South Tyneside£35£151
Car Mechanic near Southampton£43£278
Car Mechanic near Southend-on-Sea£47£225
Car Mechanic near St Albans£47£257
Car Mechanic near St Helens£39£275
Car Mechanic near Stafford£32£207
Car Mechanic near Stockport£37£235
Car Mechanic near Stockton-on-Tees£40£275
Car Mechanic near Stoke-on-Trent£33£225
Car Mechanic near Stratford-on-Avon£35£199
Car Mechanic near Stroud£38£229
Car Mechanic near Suffolk Coastal£30£176
Car Mechanic near Sunderland£35£151
Car Mechanic near Swale£36£181
Car Mechanic near Swansea£36£208
Car Mechanic near Tameside£38£236
Car Mechanic near Teignbridge£38£241
Car Mechanic near Tendring£32£200
Car Mechanic near Test Valley£33£244
Car Mechanic near Thamesdown£35£200
Car Mechanic near Thanet£38£240
Car Mechanic near Thurrock£46£282
Car Mechanic near Torbay£38£225
Car Mechanic near Trafford£37£236
Car Mechanic near Vale of Glamorgan£41£266
Car Mechanic near Vale of White Horse£35£200
Car Mechanic near Vale Royal£44£319
Car Mechanic near Wakefield£34£219
Car Mechanic near Walsall£35£212
Car Mechanic near Warrington£38£257
Car Mechanic near Warwick£37£256
Car Mechanic near Waveney£30£200
Car Mechanic near Waverley£50£291
Car Mechanic near Wealden£42£200
Car Mechanic near West Lancashire£39£260
Car Mechanic near West Lothian£22£163
Car Mechanic near West Wiltshire£38£317
Car Mechanic near Wigan£37£240
Car Mechanic near Windsor & Maidenhead£45£275
Car Mechanic near Wirral£41£297
Car Mechanic near Wokingham£47£295
Car Mechanic near Wolverhampton£34£200
Car Mechanic near Wrexham Maelor£44£342
Car Mechanic near Wychavon£31£182
Car Mechanic near Wycombe£44£270
Car Mechanic near York£38£276