Servicing: the north/south divide
24 August 2007
- Londoners pay £89.78 an hour on average
- Fife residents pay an average of £55.40
- Big disparity between dealers and independents
A survey has highlighted the difference paid by northerners and southerners for work done in garages.
The research, by Warranty Direct, highlighted that Greater London is the most expensive part of the country for labour costs during servicing, where workshops charge an average of £89.78 an hour.
It is also home to the most expensive dealer, which charges £183.30 an hour.
The 10 most expensive counties were all in the south of England.
The cheapest area in the country is Fife, where garages charge an average of £55.40 an hour.
The research also shows that, on average, for every £100 spent in a garage, £63 goes on parts and £37 on labour.
More than £10 billion was spent on servicing in the UK last year, and it paid for 504,000 mechanic hours.
The survey also highlighted the disparity between the cost of using a franchised dealership for servicing and an independent dealership.
Average dealership prices were £89.31 an hour, compared with the average independent dealership charge of £49.92 an hour.
Most expensive regions per hour
Greater London £89.78
Hertfordshire £86.68
Surrey £84.91
Buckinghamshire £81.65
Dorset £80.45
Essex £80.20
Wiltshire £79.44
Oxfordshire £79.14
Berkshire £78.76
Bedfordshire £78.52
Cheapest regions per hour
Fife £55.40
Pembrokeshire £56.83
Angus £57.98
Aberdeenshire £58.94
Highland £60.01
Lancashire £61.67
Cumbria £62.44
Northumberland £62.49
Cornwall £62.68
Perth and Kinross £62.88
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