Motorists are being subjected to ever-increasing labour charges for car repairs according to a new report on the subject.
While that may not come as a great surprise, the regional differences and the scale of increases unearthed by the 11th annual Warranty Direct labour rates study are quite revealing.
The direct-to-consumer warranty firm analysed over 10,000 cases to produce the report, and while it found the average hourly labour rate in the UK increased by 0.29 per cent over the past year to £74.33 hour the rates in some parts of the country were considerably higher.
London tops the poll for the most expensive place for car repairs with an average labour rate of £91.99 per hour, however one franchised workshop in the Capital was discovered to be charging a staggering £215 per hour, one of three garages in the area to quote an hourly rate of £200-plus.
The South East accounted for nine of the ten most expensive places to get your motor fixed, with the exception being South Glamorgan in Wales where the average labour cost came to £83.43 per hour, up ten per cent on last year.
The most severe price hike came in Cleveland in the North East of the UK, where labour rates have risen by 15 per cent. However, the North accounted for most of the cheapest places for car repairs, with Angus in Scotland recording an average labour charge of just £58.46 per hour.
The study has also revealed the difference in labour prices between franchised and non-franchised garages, with independent repairers found to be 44.9 per cent cheaper on average. The gap has closed considerably over the years, as in 2006 the difference in average labour rates between franchised and non-franchised garages stood at 83 per cent. Warranty Direct attribute this to independent repairers increasing their rates sharply over the period, with main dealers and franchised repairers maintaining more stable hourly rate.
Click here to sign up for our monthly newsletter
| Popular news stories |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
