Cost of car service beats inflation

14/09/11

Scott Allan

Some drivers in Essex are paying a huge £200 per hour to have their car serviced after new figures revealed that the average charge has risen above inflation over the past 12 months.

The average hourly rate for mechanics in the UK was found to be £80.44 compared to the £74.82 for the same time last year - a rise of about 7.5%, well above the 4.5% rate of inflation.

However, motorists who take their vehicle to a franchised dealer - often linked to the manufacturer - for a service will on average pay £95.83 per hour. One dealer in Essex charges £202.21 each hour compared to the £60.68 average price at a nearby independent firm.

The cost hikes are the latest blow for hard-pressed motorists after the price of a litre of fuel rose by about 20 pence over the same timescale.

Duncan McClure Fisher, of Warranty Direct, said: "Drivers might have hoped there'd be some reprieve from the staggering costs of motoring, but no, they're getting clobbered yet again."