The ever increasing cost of motoring continues to rise as the rates for mechanics reach new heights, soaring to over £200 at one dealers, according to figures from Warranty Directs annual survey on labour rates. With the average rate of garage labour, taking in both independent workshops and franchised dealers, rising by 7.5%, which is way above the 4.5% inflation rate, an hour of a mechanics time will now cost £80.44, a hefty rise from the £74.82 it cost in 2010.
The survey has also revealed that the workshops of franchised dealers were, on average, 57% more expensive than their counterparts who were non franchise, the biggest gap that has been seen between the two for years. While some vehicle owners will shell out £35 an hour at the cheapest of the independent workshops, other will pay a hefty £202.21, the highest labour rate that Warranty Direct has ever seen.
The average hourly labour rate of a franchised dealer is now £95.83, as opposed to £90.59 in 2010, while the typical charge of an independent is now £60.68, up from £55.90 in 2010. Apart from inflation, the increase of the prices at the franchised dealers can be attributed to their fixed price servicing that carries a discount.
This rapidly increasing trend, where motorists pay a large sum up front to pay for service bundles of 2,3, and 4 years, could be resulting in dealers funding these discounts by charging a great deal more for their standard servicing and repairs, as well as for those who simply break down.
Top 10 most expensive regions for garage labour rates
| Region | Average cost for an hour’s labour (£) |
| Middlesex | 98.21 |
| Gwynedd | 97.16 |
| Hertfordshire | 97.14 |
| Berkshire | 93.38 |
| Surrey | 91.51 |
| Pembrokeshire | 91.34 |
| Bath & NE Somerset | 91.02 |
| London | 90.81 |
| Buckinghamshire | 90.27 |
| Midlothian | 87.93 |
Top 10 least expensive regions for garage labour rates
| Region | Average cost for an hour’s labour (£) |
| Dumfries & Galloway | 54.82 |
| Inverclyde | 55.38 |
| West Lothian | 58.31 |
| Renfrewshire | 59.17 |
| Clwyd | 61.86 |
| County Durham | 63.45 |
| Monmouthshire | 64.70 |
| Humberside | 64.78 |
| South Humberside | 66.62 |
| Northumberland | 66.66 |
Warranty Direct’s survey shows Middlesex to be the most expensive postcode to get cars repaired – charging £98.21 on average. In contrast, those lucky enough to break down in Dumfries and Galloway will usually pay £54.82. The most dramatic year-on-year rises were in Gwent (+26.9%) and East Sussex (+24.3%). Conversely, Manchester benefitted from a near 10% fall in rates on average.
Duncan McClure Fisher of Warranty Direct said: “Drivers might have hoped there’d be some reprieve from the staggering costs of motoring, but no, they’re getting clobbered yet again.
“To think that some workshops are charging in excess of £200 an hour is astounding – that’s equivalent to some people’s weekly wage. Motoring costs are approaching an unsustainable level.
“There’s been a move to push fixed priced service deals, but the knock-on effect is that dealers then charge much more for anybody who isn’t locked in and, once the car is on site, it’s often impractical to find a better price.”
Warranty Direct cover starts from as little as £15 a month. All policies protect against wear & tear, failures caused by uninsured parts and failures found during a service or MOT.
For more information on the reliability of your vehicle, visit www.reliabilityindex.com,
