How much should a service cost?
While every car is different you should always get your car serviced on a regular basis to ensure it is working at its optimum.
Guide to car servicing:
The cheapest small car to service
The cheapest family car to service
How much should a car service cost?
Most manufacturers recommend a full service once a year or every 12,000 miles in addition to an MOT (where applicable).
However, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to car servicing as every manufacturer has a recommended service schedule (as well as recommendations for specifics like oil changes). If you are in any doubt, make sure to check your owner’s manual.
The cost of a car service will vary greatly depending on your car as well as where you live but the current UK average is currently £161.
What are the cheapest small cars to service?*
There is little disparity between the cost of a full service across smaller car models. Although, the findings do reveal that the Toyota Yaris comes out as cheapest; costing an average of £146.96 for the service. Contrastingly, the most expensive of this group is the BMW 1-Series, which is about £15 more costly at £160.41.
| Top 10 cheapest small cars to service | Cost of service |
|---|---|
| Toyota Yaris | £146.96 |
| Ford Fiesta | £147.42 |
| Vauxhall Corsa | £148.27 |
| Nissan Micra | £148.29 |
| Seat Ibiza | £148.78 |
| Volkswagen Polo | £149.51 |
| Fiat 500 | £150.04 |
| Audi A1 | £150.77 |
| MINI Hatchback | £155.07 |
| BMW 1 Series | £160.41 |
*This table uses data from quotes provided on WhoCanFixMyCar between 02/07/2021 and 30/09/2021 Get service quote
What are the cheapest family cars to service?*
The difference in cost for a full service across family cars is even less than that of small cars; differing by just £5 or so. A full service for a Renault Megane will only set you back an average of £149.78, the cheapest on our list. While the most expensive family car full service in our findings is the Honda Civic.
| Top 10 cheapest family cars to service | Cost of service |
|---|---|
| Renault Megane | £149.78 |
| Seat Leon | £150.35 |
| Skoda Octavia | £151.83 |
| Vauxhall Astra | £153.22 |
| Kia Ceed | £152.83 |
| Ford Focus | £153.46 |
| Volvo V40 | £154.14 |
| Volkswagen Golf | £155.13 |
| Audi A3 | £155.26 |
| Honda Civic | £155.87 |
*This table uses data from quotes provided on WhoCanFixMyCar between 02/07/2021 and 30/09/2021 Get service quote
How much do prices vary between car manufacturers?*
Just over £20 separates the most and least expensive full service on our list across popular car makes. Mercedes Benz, not surprisingly, will cost you the most for a full service (an average of £170.53) whereas Skoda owners are in luck; with these three makes being the least expensive makes for a full service on average.
| Average cost of service by manufacturer | |
|---|---|
| Audi | £174.78 |
| BMW | £180.29 |
| Citroen | £169.25 |
| Ford | £169.49 |
| Mercedes-Benz | £182.87 |
| MINI | £172.56 |
| Peugeot | £168.92 |
| Nissan | £172.16 |
| Renault | £168.40 |
| Toyota | £167.79 |
| Vauxhall | £169.82 |
| Volkswagen | £171.08 |
| Volvo | £177.87 |
*This table uses data from quotes provided on WhoCanFixMyCar between 02/07/2021 and 30/09/2021
How does where you live effect the cost of a full service?*
The cheapest UK city to get a full service is Glasgow, coming in at an average of around £130, followed by Manchester and Liverpool. The most expensive place to have a full service carried out, unsurprisingly, is London, where a full service will on average set you back £170.
| Location | Average full service cost |
|---|---|
| Birmingham | £148.26 |
| Cardiff | £138.89 |
| Edinburgh | £145.64 |
| Glasgow | £132.74 |
| Leeds | £141.01 |
| Liverpool | £138.41 |
| London | £173.71 |
| Manchester | £136.59 |
| Newcastle | £149.50 |
| Nottingham | £152.69 |
*This table uses data from quotes provided on WhoCanFixMyCar between 02/07/2021 and 30/09/2021
How can I find the cheapest full service near me?
Locating a trusted garage near you to carry out your service can feel like a laborious task. However, WCFMC allows you to compare prices across local garages for your servicing and repairs. Receive instant quotes and access reviews to make an informed choice and book in!
Using WCFMC is completely free, you do not have to pay for repairs or your full service until you visit the garage.
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