All cars need an MOT, servicing or the attention of a mechanic at some point. Car maintenance can be very expensive and it is hard to know where to look to find a good mechanic who will be economical on pricing.

Most people rely on well known brands or personal recommendations. However, there are a growing number of garage comparison sites that allow you to get quotes online from a number of local garages.

All the sites listed below are free to use, but the mechanics and garages pay for bookings received.

Some sites such as Servicing Stop and Click Mechanic offer a parts and labour warranty and take payment for the work, whereas other sites just introduce you to local garages so you would need to check what warranty you will receive.

Our findings on number of quotes and prices varied significantly depending on location. Many of the sites are still building their networj of garages so for some it could be quicker to ring round a few mechanics than wait for emails to come in. However as use of these websites increases it is likely more mechanics and garages will sign up.

Currently the RAC offers the most results for any search. However both ClickMechanic and Servicing Stop do not disclose the number of garages.

Speed of Quotes

RAC Garage Compare, Servicing Stop, DipStix, Service the Car give instant quotes for servicing and MOT.

ClickMechanic gives instant quotes for servicing, MOT and most types of repair.

Otherwise you need to complete your details in an online form and await emails or liaise directly with the garage for repair quotes.

Convenience

Click Mechanic works with mobile mechanics who come to you at home or work.

Servicing Stop offers free collection and return of your car for all work completed.

Other sites show collection and return options but these may incur an additional fee.

Other things to consider

For MOT and servicing, no matter what your choice of garage, mechanics make their money from the additional work your car needs. Therefore the garage labour rate can be an important factor. Only the RAC site shows this information, however it may be useful to ask first before committing to any particular mechanic.

If your car is currently under manufacturer's warranty, ensure you state this at the outset and that the work completed must not invalidate your warranty, such as failing to use original equipment (OE) standard parts or not using a VAT registered garage.

You should always ensure you get a written receipt detailing the work completed for warranty purposes and also it can be helpful to the buyer when you come to sell the car.

Before using a mechanic you are not familiar with, we would always recommend doing your own research first. Don't be guided by price alone. Check the internet for reviews, find out if any friends or colleagues have used them. The ratings on the websites are variable in terms of their reliability, since in some cases anyone can leave a review without necessarily getting the work done. Also as the concept of booking your mechanic online is relatively new, many mechanics have none or only a handful of reviews.

Our Verdict

When it comes to car repairs, quality of work and trust in the mechanic is crucial, not just price so it is not like for like comparison. However having access to instant quotes for MOT and servicing is very useful.

Comparison sites with reviews are a force for good and will make mechanics more accountable and accessible, however until there are a lot more reliable customer reviews, it is hard to choose between the offerings.

Servicing Stop and Click Mechanic provide something slightly different to just comparison by offering convenience and central brand that takes payment, deals with queries and complaints and ensures the work completed is under warranty for 12 months (or 12,000 miles with Servicing Stop).

The Comparison Sites

Click Mechanic

Founded in 2012, winners of Imperial Create Lab’s Venture Catalyst Challenge, selected for Entrepreneur First funding and support and recently funded by a number of high profile angel investors.

They started as a comparison site, but then evolved into a Click Mechanic. Click Mechanic work with mobile mechanics who will come to your home or office to fix your car.

You can get instant quotes on their site. Payment is taken through Click Mechanic and Click Mechanic provide a 12 months parts and labour warranty for the work booked through them.

The quotes are based on aftermarket parts, which may not meet the requirements of your manufacturer’s warranty, therefore if your car is still under warranty you should check if suitable parts are available.

If the mechanic finds there is additional work or you have specific requirements the quoted price may change, however this should be discussed with you prior to work commencing.

All mechanics need to demonstrate minimum qualifications and experience. They are then reviewed by all customers following completion of the work.

Servicing Stop

Founded by brothers Oliver and Toby Richmond in 2008. They won a Dragons Den award in 2009 for their idea.

The company provides a collection and delivery service included in the price.

MOT and Service prices are quoted within seconds online.

If you require specific repairs these need to be requested by email and usually you will get quotes back within 24 hours.

All garages are vetted by Servicing Stop including site visits.

All work carries a 12 month or 12,000 miles parts and labour warranty

You will be notified of the garage details before your car is collected and if for any reason you would prefer not to use that garage then you can request to change.

All parts are of original equipment standard to avoid invalidating your manufacturer’s warranty. The service will include all the items on the Servicing Stop online list, if your manufacturer’s service schedule requires additional items or your vehicle requires special oils or spark plugs these will be an extra cost, so check the online schedule. Any additional cost is notified to you on the day of service.

Servicing Stop also levy an environmental charge on all services at an additional fee of £8.00+VAT

Payment: you pay Servicing Stop when the service is complete and additional 2.5% is charged for credit card payments and £1 for debit cards.

Servicing Stop guarantee to beat any main dealer on a service price, if you have a written quotation and the garage is within 50 miles.

 

RAC Garage Compare

Previously TootCompare which is part of the Motorists Organisation. Rebranded as RAC Garage Compare. They work with almost 10,000 franchised and independent garages.

Input your car details to get instant quotes for servicing and MOT from garages within 10 miles radius.

If your car needs repairs, you are shown a list of garages that would provide repairs, although you would need to take your car for an accurate quote direct from the garage.

You would need to check with the garage to check what they include in the service and what will be charged as extra, as well as ensuring they use original equipment standard parts as this is not detailed in the terms and conditions on site.

Conveniently this site shows the typical labour rates for the garage, so if you are likely to need extra work or repairs you can get a sense of how much this would cost.

Once you have decided on the garage, your contract is with them. All payments are made direct to the garage.

DipStix

Founded in 2013 by David Cederholm, with recent equity funding from crowdfunding site Seedrs. Approx 1,100 independent garages providing a range of MOT, servicing and repairs.

Input your car details and you will be shown a list of prices and garages.

Instant pricing for MOT, service, tyre fitting, diagnostics.

Click on the garages to get more details and to be shown a timetable for when you can book your car in.

For more detailed repairs, complete the online form.

Customers can rate the garages, however as it’s a reasonably recent site few garages have ratings.

The garage is charged 10% of the price paid.

Garages all use original equipment standard parts in line with manufacturer’s warranty requirements.

MyCarNeedsA

A recent entrant into the mechanic comparison site market..

Complete the online form to get quotes for your car. Your request is sent to garages in the area to provide quotes. Typically you will receive quote results within 24 hours.

As they are still building their garage list, some areas of the country could have poor coverage.

Garages pay to receive leads from the site on an annual subscription basis as well as per lead received. Once you accept a quote your relationship is directly with the garage chosen.

AutoButler

Another recent entrant into the UK Market. Founded in 2010, Autobutler is a German company offering garage comparison predominantly in UK, Germany and Denmark, but with plans to roll out across Europe.

Independent and franchised garages are included.

You get 3 quotes from local garages within 48 hours of your request. Complete an online form in order to get pricing.

Local garages are displayed when you enter your postcode, you can select the 3 garages yourself if you wish from the list displayed for your postcode, or allow AutoButler to select them on your behalf.

You can select if you require the service to be carried out in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, as required if your car is under warranty.

Looking for a garage in Darlington, the nearest was 21 miles away, unlike the other comparison sites where local garages were available. So presumably nationwide coverage is still being built.