Research shows regional differences in garage labour rates

Moneybarn research has revealed the reality of price differences between car parts and labour costs charged by garages across UK region.

Moneybarn has calculated how much a consumer is likely to be charged for nine different car repairs at professional garages depending on where you live in the UK, compared with the cost of the individual car part.

Moneybarn’s sales and marketing director, Simon Bayley, said: “The price difference between the cost of car parts and labour costs is staggering, especially when comparing north and south prices.

“Understanding that some of these repairs can take over four hours to fix, there is no surprise mechanics charge a significant amount for labour. But for those repairs that don’t take up too much time, it’s quite shocking to see how much these can cost.

“That said, you can’t put a price tag on the safety of motorists and the public. Regular maintenance upkeep should help prevent major problems occurring with your vehicle.

“If drivers do find a fault, they should take it to a garage immediately. You can still do research from home to find reasonable garage and mechanic costs in your area.”

Moneybarn said in a statement that the "most shocking" comparison was the average price of a cylinder head gasket component compared to its labour costs.

In London there is a whopping 97% price difference with an average repair costing £821. This is also a service that is delivered over £200 cheaper in the West Midlands.

This was closely followed by the difference in price between a fuel filter part and its labour costs. Londoners were being charged, on average, £79 for this repair despite the part costing under £8 online (a 90% price difference).

In the North West, consumers could expect to pay £20 less for the same service.

Proportionately, a battery replacement has the smallest price hike, with a 72% average difference between the part and cost of labour. The labour rate for this part is cheapest in the North West, closely followed by Scotland and the West Midlands.

Moneybarn’s research also showed a clear north/south divide when it comes to labour costs, with London, East Anglia, South East, East Midlands and the South West seeing the largest repair charges.

Scotland performed consistently well and was the second-cheapest region, behind the North West for all car repairs, except a replacement cylinder head gasket.

Wales and Northern Ireland were middle of the road when it comes to the cost of car repairs, but drivers were still getting better value for money than those in the South East, Moneybarn said.