Unexpected car repairs cost drivers more than £600 a year

Unexpected car repairs are costing drivers an average of more than £600 a year, data from the RAC reveals.*

As many as six-in-10 (59%) drivers say they are hit with unexpected repair costs for their main vehicle each year, with the average bill coming out at £617 across all ages of car. More than a third (37%) of those facing these repairs said they experienced financial difficulty in paying for them.

Tyres top the list of unexpected motoring costs (64%) – no doubt due to all the wear and tear they are subjected to, followed by brake repairs on 24%. A further fifth (21%) of drivers surveyed by the RAC were seemingly victims of Britain’s poor road surfaces as they had to fork out for new suspension parts such as shock absorbers and springs. For cars between three and 10 years old, this figure was dramatically higher at 30%.

The next most common unexpected costs were getting new exterior lights fitted (15%), repairing bodywork damage such as dents and scrapes (14%) and having to replace faulty or worn-out 12-volt batteries.

While RAC patrols are famous for fixing four-out-of-five vehicles on the spot, the jobs they can’t do there and then are now being quickly and conveniently completed on people’s drives by its new nationwide team of RAC Mobile Mechanics. In addition to repairs, they also specialise in servicing vehicles at customers’ homes or workplaces, saving them having to find a garage to do the job as well as the hassle of dropping off and picking up their vehicles.

RAC Mobile Mechanics’ top jobs in 2024 – aside from full and interim services – were carrying out electronic fault-finding ‘diagnostics’ tests (40%). Brakes took second spot in the RAC Mobile Mechanics’ routine repairs list accounting for a fifth (18%) of all jobs, with teams fitting new brake pads, discs and cylinders. Problems relating to vehicles’ charging and starting systems dominated the remaining top five places, with replacing batteries on 13%, and fitting new alternators and starter motors, both on 7%.

Paul Coward, chief executive of the RAC’s service, maintenance and repair division, said: “Unexpected car repairs are something every driver dreads. This is even more the case for the estimated third of drivers who find it hard to cover these costs. What’s more, we know from long-term RAC research that eight-in-10 people depend on their cars, so any time a vehicle is off the road it can cause huge problems.

“Our patrols are experts at coming to drivers’ rescue when things go wrong, but not even they can fix every car. Now, with our growing nationwide team of RAC Mobile Mechanics we can get a wide number of repairs done at homes and workplaces. An RAC patrol simply tows a broken-down vehicle to the member’s home, then books a convenient time and date for a mobile mechanic colleague to carry out the necessary repair.

“This saves the time and effort of finding a garage that can do the repair quickly, taking away the hassle of getting to and from the garage. Helpfully, customers are also able to spread the cost of the repair over three payments by using Klarna.

“With so many people doing everything on the internet these days, we’re also seeing more and more customers booking RAC Mobile Mechanics online. Just like arranging an online shopping delivery, they can get a time slot that suits them. What’s more, they know the cost of the repair or service upfront, all without any need to call a garage.

“The other clear message to drivers is a well-maintained vehicle is far less likely to break down and result in costly unexpected repairs. Servicing it regularly is key, as well as ensuring any advisories in the MOT are addressed before they become illegal or go wrong.”

For complete peace of mind, all RAC Mobile Mechanics’ servicing is carried out to a standard that protects residual vehicle values and ensures vehicle manufacturer warranties remain valid. The RAC’s technicians are multi-skilled and therefore can complete full services, full diagnostic checks and oil changes as well as some repairs, avoiding further future vehicle downtime. RAC Mobile Mechanics has an ‘Excellent’ Trustpilot rating, demonstrating just how much demand there is for the service.

Notes to Editors

* Research conducted with 2,691 drivers by Online95 for the RAC Report on Motoring 2024. Only those who hold a full, current UK driving licence, drive at least once a month and have a motor vehicle in their household took part. Responses were rim-weighted to be nationally representative of UK motorists in age, gender, socio-economic groups and all UK regions. Effective sample size 1,925 drivers.