Your car is limping along and you know it needs attention. You can trek to a cheap garage, or go to the smart dealership round the corner. But you know that’s more expensive. Right?
Wrong.
Main dealerships may look glossy, but when it comes to certain services, they can actually be as good a deal as the mechanic who's mates with your cousin down the road.
We asked , a garage comparison site, to compare the price of different garages. And this is what they found:
Service and MOT prices
WhoCanFixMyCar
When crunched the numbers, they found the difference between the cheapest and most expensive garage was just 6%.
A fast fit garage on average charged £178 for service and MOT, compared to £174 for a main dealer and £168 for an independent garage. The average cost was £169.07.
Going to a main dealer was on average £41 more expensive than an independent garage - but £22 less than a fast fit outlet.
A main dealer is £18 more expensive than an independent garage. But a fast fit garage was more than TWICE as expensive.
Brake and exhaust prices
WhoCanFixMyCar
Main dealers demand a lot more for fixing your brakes - on average these garages charge £221 compared to £150 for an independent and £156 for a fast fit garage.
Main dealers are also the priciest for engine jobs at £296. That’s £71 more than an independent workshop and £83 more than the cheapest type of garage, a fast fit.
Air con prices
WhoCanFixMyCar
Independent dealers typically charge £163 to fix air con - that's £99 more than a main dealer and £103 more than a fast fit.
You can compare garages on price comparison sites including , and .
director Alex Rose said: “It’s a common assumption that a main dealership, with its comfy facilities, manufacturer-original parts and high overheads, must be more expensive than the independent or high-street alternatives.
“As such many drivers – particularly when their warranty has expired – will dismiss the option of using their dealership, typically without even checking their prices.
“The truth is, however, that dealerships have fought back in recent years, with fixed-price ‘Value Servicing’ and up-front ‘Menu Pricing’ for common repair types, while retaining many of their traditional added benefits.”
Many drivers buy a second-hand car and fix it up.