Service savings on your doorstep - How much we saved

Overall, the biggest saving was a huge £140 with the Skoda Fabia. The most expensive franchise wanted £280 from us, but a Bosch garage quoted just £140. That equates to a saving of £7 for every minute on the phone - or £420 if you spend an hour calling around.

Average savings were less extreme, but if you don't give it a go you'll never know how far over the odds you're paying.

The average savings were £32 on the Mazda, £40 on the Citroen, £56 on the Ford and £64 on the Skoda.

Almost every franchised dealer struggled to be competitive with even the most expensive independents, although there was one anomaly in our results. The second-cheapest price for the service on the Mazda 6 came from a franchised dealership (in Battens Drive, Redditch).

The quotes varied within the franchised and independent networks, too. For instance, prices differed within the Skoda network by almost £90, so it's well worth phoning three or four garages.