Average hourly labour rates for car repairs vary by as much as 220 per cent across Britain.
Using data supplied by used car warranty provider Warrantywise, leading weekly car magazine Auto Express has revealed average rates reach a peak of £141 per hour in Twickenham, south-west London, compared to the cheapest average rate of £44 per hour in Kirkwall, Orkney. This results in a massive difference of £97 per hour. Overall, the average cost of labour in Britain is £84.30 per hour.
The highest recorded hourly rate of an individual garage was £240 per hour in West Byfleet, Surrey, with the lowest cost found to be £36 per hour at a garage in Smethwick, Birmingham – a staggering 566 per cent difference.
Regionally, London recorded the highest average labour rate (£101.60) and was the only area to break the £100 mark. Scotland was by far the cheapest with an average labour rate of just £71.42 – 42 per cent lower than the capital.
Lexus was voted as having the best dealer network – for the 14th consecutive year – with an overall score of 93.56 per cent.
The average garage labour cost in Wales was reported as £77, with only the North East and Scotland cheaper at £76 and £71 approximately.
