Car service & repair costs by UK city
The same full service that costs around £220–£365 in London is nearer £160–£270 in Newcastle. Here's the 2026 picture city by city, indexed against the national independent-garage average.
2026 price index by city
| City | Full service | Interim service | Front pads & discs | Front pads only | MOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | £220–£365 | £135–£220 | £305–£525 | £140–£240 | £54.85 (capped) |
| Brighton & South East | £200–£335 | £125–£200 | £280–£480 | £130–£220 | £54.85 (capped) |
| Oxford / Cambridge | £200–£330 | £120–£200 | £275–£475 | £125–£215 | £54.85 (capped) |
| Bristol | £190–£315 | £115–£190 | £265–£450 | £120–£205 | £54.85 (capped) |
| Birmingham | £180–£300 | £110–£180 | £250–£430 | £115–£195 | £54.85 (capped) |
| Manchester | £175–£290 | £105–£175 | £245–£415 | £110–£190 | £54.85 (capped) |
| Leeds | £170–£285 | £105–£170 | £240–£410 | £110–£185 | £54.85 (capped) |
| Cardiff | £165–£280 | £100–£165 | £235–£400 | £105–£180 | £54.85 (capped) |
| Liverpool | £165–£275 | £100–£165 | £230–£395 | £105–£180 | £54.85 (capped) |
| Newcastle | £160–£270 | £100–£160 | £225–£385 | £105–£175 | £54.85 (capped) |
| Glasgow | £165–£280 | £100–£165 | £235–£400 | £105–£180 | £54.85 (capped) |
| Belfast | £160–£265 | £95–£160 | £220–£380 | £100–£170 | £54.85 (capped) |
Index derived from published UK regional labour-rate differentials (mechanic hourly-rate guides and regional price studies, 2026) applied to the national medians from our 1059-model price database. MOT is price-capped nationally by DVSA.
Why the gap exists
Labour is most of any bill, and hourly rates track premises costs and wages: £45–£70/hr across most of the North, Wales and Scotland; £70–£110/hr in London and the South East. Parts cost roughly the same everywhere.
What that means in practice
If you live on a regional boundary, getting quotes one town further out genuinely saves money. And wherever you are, the biggest saving isn't geography — it's using an independent instead of a dealer (dealers run 30–85% more).