If you’re just learning to drive, it can be daunting getting to grips with the maintenance side of things.
It’s not something school prepares you for - and you’ve probably heard that some garages can’t be trusted. Whether it’s because you’ve heard that some garages can take advantage of new drivers by recommending unnecessary repairs, inflating the price of the job or making you wait longer than other drivers, comparing a sea of options can be a scary thought.
But it doesn’t have to be.
If you’re wondering why it’s so important to pick the right garage for you, you’ve come to the right place.
Choosing your first garage can be easy, if you know where to look.
Why do I need to compare garages?
Think of it this way – you'll be visiting this garage at least once a year for the MOT test, maybe twice if you book a car service separately. It might even be more if you’re a high-mileage driver and opt for an additional interim service.
Add to this the possibility of your car completely breaking down and needing £500+ of repairs, and it’s easy to see why choosing the right garage matters. Plus, if you’re loving the new-found freedom that driving brings, knowing a good garage means you never have to worry about this stopping.
Spending just a little time comparing local garages to find the right one for you makes all the difference – especially when you can recognise the telltale signs of a great garage.
What makes a good garage?
Finding a local garage that offers friendly advice and efficient car repairs isn’t always easy – unless you know what to look for.
Here are our top 3 tips for choosing the best garage for you.
- Quality and Quantity of Reviews
A garage with plenty of 4- and 5-star reviews on Trustpilot or Google is sure to fill you with confidence in your choice, especially where they highlight customers’ positive experiences.
To look at things a different way, you could even check how the garage responds to poor reviews. Does the garage take responsibility for the issues raised and offer a solution? Or do they blame the customer or provide no response at all?
If something goes wrong with your car, you want to make sure you’ll be treated fairly, for your own peace of mind.
- Qualifications and Accreditations
It goes without saying that your chosen garage should hold all the necessary qualifications and be fully registered to complete the work your car needs.
The very best garages go even further, with industry recognition to their name.
Look for recommendations from any of the following:
- Approved Garages
- RAC
- Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI)
- Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI)
- Good Garage Scheme
- Three Best Rated
- Trust a Garage
These highlight local businesses that would be a fantastic choice for your first garage.
- Nothing Is Too Good to Be True
A good garage will have your best interests at heart – and will never try to oversell you.
You should be wary of any garage that claims to offer a complex job for significantly less than the average price, brushes off your questions, or just seems a bit dodgy.
If you’re not convinced by what the garage is offering, it’s best to walk away. It’s better to pay slightly more to have the job done right by an experienced garage, so you can avoid being ripped off or stressed out.
When it comes to finding the right garage, know as much as you can, ask for detailed quotes, and have a rough idea of the average price for your chosen service before making a commitment.
“I don’t know much about cars, so the thought of finding my first garage was quite scary Using BookMyGarage.com, I was able to find a local garage that similar drivers trusted providing a service at the best price, and I couldn’t be happier with my choice!” – Holly, 23.
Now that you know how to find the best garage near you, wouldn’t it be great if there was a comparison site that showed you all your options in one place?
Find the best local garages in seconds with BookMyGarage
That’s where BookMyGarage.com comes in to simplify the process.
You can compare dozens of local garages in seconds, just by entering your vehicle registration and postcode into the booking tool on the site. This makes finding a value-for-money service even easier, as you can see instant prices to find the best deal.
Imagine you’re spending a day visiting local charity shops, trawling through racks of clothes in search of the perfect outfit - you could easily spend hours searching and still not find what you had in mind.
The same can be said for finding a local garage if you search for each one individually.
With BookMyGarage, you won’t have to. You can see all of your options in one place, filter by what matters most to you, and compare each car service ‘like-for-like'. (And don’t even get us started on how much direct services can vary from garage to garage).
That means you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for, without the hassle.
You can sit back and enjoy the peace of mind you deserve, safe in the knowledge that you know who to contact when something inevitably goes wrong with your car.
Most importantly, the time and energy you would have spent scrolling through search results or on the phone can be better spent out on the open road.
“I’ve used my current garage for 3 or 4 years since I found them on BookMyGarage and I couldn’t be happier. Finding out they were a Renault specialist really put me at ease and made me confident that they could fix anything that went wrong with my car – and that’s been exactly the case!” – Drew, 24.
For many of us, our first car is already well-travelled by the time we come to drive it, so problems are bound to arise – some sooner than others...
How much does it cost to visit a garage?
All average prices below are taken from data provided by BookMyGarage.com. All prices are indicative, and exact quotes will vary depending on your make, model, engine size, and chosen garage.
Example A – Your Standard Yearly Maintenance
The minimum you should expect to spend visiting a garage in any given year is £243 (on average) on an MOT test and a full car service.
The MOT is a legal requirement for all 3+-year-old vehicles in the UK, and the maximum fee for a car is £54.85.
A full car service can cost you an average of £188, and you will need to book one each year – as delaying can have serious consequences for your vehicle.
Example B – Extra Levels of Maintenance
Every 2 to 3 years, you’ll probably need to pay around double your standard maintenance costs.
That money will likely go towards at least one of the following, alongside your MOT and service:
- Brake fluid change at an average of £60
- Coolant change at an average of £60
- Air con regas at an average of £85
- Wheel alignment at an average of £42
Throw in having to replace a few bulbs or your windscreen wipers, and you can see how the costs can easily ramp up towards – or even exceed - £500.
Example C: Something Breaks
If your vehicle had a complete breakdown, then you could be looking at spending even more.
For instance, a clutch replacement costs roughly £500 to £550 on average, front brake pads and discs are in the region of £270 to £275, and new tyres cost roughly £80 per tyre.
Add in your yearly MOT and service, as well as a couple of the fluid top-ups mentioned above, and you’re looking at spending something like £1,000 on vehicle repairs!
Need an emergency repair on top of that? You may be charged a call out fee, with additional towing fees if required – costing you potentially upwards of £150.
With all this in mind, choosing the right garage means you can get the best deal, without worrying about the quality of the work. Plus, having a garage you know you can rely on makes all the difference. Not to mention it can save you a significant amount of money to spend on other things you actually enjoy, as well.
Our final thoughts
It can be tempting to stick with what you know.
We’re all guilty of hitting ‘auto renew’ or continuing with a subscription we’re not using because it’s the easy way out. No one likes having to change everything all the time, but there are some things that are worth spending a little time on.
Choosing the right first garage is one of those things – and a little effort now can save you a lot of stress and expenses later down the line. Rediscover the joy in finding something new by following these tips and keep your car running smoothly for longer with the help of the right garage for you.
