UK motorists pay £285m more for servicing by not shopping around

Motorists in the UK could save up to £285m by simply shopping around when they get their car serviced, according to research by What Car?. Find out if what you are charging compares to other businesses in your area.

The car-buying experts analysed costs for 10 of the most popular cars in the UK across eight regions and found an average gap of £126 between the cheapest and most expensive services.

Scottish and Welsh motorists enjoy the cheapest prices in the UK on average (£210 and £217 respectively), while the South East is the most expensive region, with an average cost of £244.

Table showing average service costs by region

 
What Car? analysed the cost of the first service (including VAT) for the 10 most searched-for cars on its website.

In some cases, the difference in costs by region meant that car owners willing to shop around and travel could still make significant savings.

Among the 10 models analysed by What Car?, even different vehicles built in the same factory, or with the same mechanical underpinnings, generated varying service costs.

The Audi A3, Seat Leon, Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Golf share many components, including engines, but What Car? found that it costs almost two thirds (62%) more on average to service an A3 over an Octavia. In Wales, that increase in cost leapt to 93%.

Table showing service costs for 10 popular models

Any questions on servicing or any other car-buying topic can be sent directly to Whatcar.com’s experts via Facebook or Twitter and the #askwhatcar hashtag.