Motorists anxious to save cash are being suggested to buy round for servicing after a significant survey discovered large variations in storage labour charges across the UK.
The survey, by What Automobile?, in contrast the hourly labour charges of 279 impartial garages across the UK, all of them members of the Unbiased Storage Affiliation.
It revealed that the place some garages are only some miles aside, their labour charges can differ by greater than £50 an hour. For instance, the costliest area to have a automobile serviced is inside the M25, the place hourly labour charges among the many areas surveyed common £105. Nonetheless, motorists who store round can save £51 by driving simply 10 miles from south-west London – at £141, the UK’s costliest space – to Sutton, the place an hour’s labour prices £90.
Our interactive map breaks down servicing charges space by space
Elsewhere, in Leeds and Oldham the common hourly labour charge is £78, however simply 20 miles away in Huddersfield it’s £47. In reality, in line with the survey, the West Yorkshire market city is the UK’s most cost-effective place to have a automobile serviced.
The What Automobile? analysis additionally confirmed that the UK’s common labour charge is £76 per hour. This can be a important improve on the common hourly charge of £47 {that a} survey by the Unbiased Storage Affiliation discovered to be the case in 2020. Inside the M25, the identical survey discovered the best hourly charge was £55, or £86 lower than the best charge right this moment.
Nonetheless, ex-garage proprietor Andy Savva, a marketing consultant who trains and advises garages and who is thought within the commerce as The Storage Inspector, says right this moment’s common labour charge continues to be not excessive sufficient to help a enterprise.
“I coach 1000’s of storage workers and the only greatest mistake they make is to align their hourly labour charges with native rivals – this regardless of their very totally different prices, expertise and amenities,” he mentioned. “Their clarification is that in the event that they don’t, they are going to be uncompetitive and lose enterprise. Nonetheless, on common it prices round £60 per hour simply to function a typical storage with all its operating and stuck prices.
