Research highlights differing regional service costs

31 March 2014  

Research by automotive publication What Car? has found a large gap in the cost of vehicle servicing around the UK.

The research, which focused on franchised dealer workshops, suggests that drivers could get a better deal by shopping around, especially outside of their local vicinity. The magazine analysed the costs for 10 of the most popular cars searched for on its website across eight regions, and found an average price gap of £126 between the cheapest and most expensive.

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.

In some cases, the difference in costs by region meant that car owners willing to shop around and travel could make significant savings, equivalent to slap-up lunches in a three-star Michelin restaurant, nights in four-star hotels or family days out.

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.