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Garage labour rates

Labour is usually the largest part of a repair bill, and the part most worth understanding.

How a labour charge is built

A garage multiplies an hourly rate by a labour time for the job. Most workshops use a published book time rather than a stopwatch, so the same repair costs the same whether the technician is quick or slow that morning. Two numbers therefore decide your bill: the rate, and the hours claimed.

AutoAid's regional reference bands

These are the exact hourly figures AutoAid uses when it builds a cost guide, chosen from your postcode. They are AutoAid's own indicative reference bands for independent garages — not live prices collected from garages near you.

London
£118 / hour
South East
£96 / hour
South West
£82 / hour
Midlands
£76 / hour
Scotland
£74 / hour
North
£72 / hour
Wales
£70 / hour
UK average (used when no postcode is given)
£78 / hour

When a higher rate is legitimate

  • Franchised dealers commonly charge well above independent rates, and often fit genuine parts only.
  • Specialists — diesel injection, gearboxes, hybrids and EVs, classic bikes — charge for equipment and training you cannot get elsewhere.
  • Diagnostic time is real work. An hour spent finding an intermittent fault is cheaper than replacing parts on a guess.
  • Awkward vehicles genuinely take longer. Some engines need the front end stripped for a job that is trivial on another car.

Questions worth asking

  • What is your hourly rate, and how many hours is this job?
  • Is that split out from parts on the invoice?
  • Are the parts genuine, OE-equivalent or aftermarket?
  • Will you call me before doing anything not on this quote?
  • Can I have the old parts back? (You are entitled to ask.)

Check a quote you've been given

Enter the job and the price and AutoAid compares it against that specific job's reference range and your regional labour band.

Open the quote checker

Figures on this page are AutoAid's indicative reference bands, not quotes and not a survey of garages in your area. Always get a written price before work starts.