Car mechanic labour rates are continuing to escalate with the average increase of 7.5% meaning the average UK hourly charge for a car mechanic now tops £80.
Things were even worse at one garage investigated by Warranty Direct, which carries out the annual labour rate survey, where the labour rate stood at a staggering £202.21.
This is the highest ever labour rate ever seen by the firm, which describes this year’s findings as ‘unsustainable’.
Franchised car dealers continue to be more expensive than independent car service garages. An hour at a franchised dealer costs £95.83 (up from £90.59 in 2010) and an independent costs £60.68 (compared to £55.90 in 2010).
Franchised workshops are now 57% more expensive than independent ones, the biggest gap seen in years. Warranty Direct says this could partly be explained by the new trend of fixed-price servicing, where new car buyers pay up front for service bundles.
Dealers could be funding discounts by charging more for standard repairs and servicing, plus repairs for cars that break down.
However, the rate of increase in both independent and franchised labour rates is well above the UK average inflation rate of 4.5%.
The most expensive region for labour rates in the UK is Middlesex. There, the average rate is £98.21. This compares to Northumberland, which has the cheapest labour rates in the UK.
There, car owners pay £66.66 per hour.
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.’
