Repair costs

Binding brake repair garage rates and how often MOTs call for it

What UK garages charge per hour, from ONS price quotes, and how often MOT tests fail on the items this repair fixes, from 130,233,413 DVSA MOT tests (2022 to 2025).

Prices updated 22 September 2026. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Garage labour rates

No public source records the price of this whole job, and the time it takes varies from car to car, so we do not publish a single figure. Garages charge by the hour, so ask for a quote that lists labour time and parts. The rates below are what UK garages charge per hour.

Local garage labour, per hour (65 shops)£78

Local garage, middle half£70 to £96

Main dealer labour, per hour (62 shops)£156

Main dealer, middle half£144 to £174

Median hourly rate charged for car repairs, from 1,058 local garage and 953 main dealer price quotes collected by the ONS, September 2025 to August 2026. The same shops are priced each month, so the number of shops is the real sample.

MOT defects this repair fixes

Service brake binding but not excessively1.59 per 100
Service brake excessively binding0.82 per 100

Records per 100 MOT tests at all ages (n=130,233,413 tests).

How often by age

All cars: 0.82 fail items per 100 MOTs that this repair fixes (n=130,233,413 tests), highest at 19 years with 1.88 per 100 (n=2,479,858). A test with two such items counts twice.

Fail items fixed by binding brake repair, per 100 MOT tests of cars at each age.
Age	Per 100 MOTs	Tests (n)
3 years	0.054	8,016,463
4 years	0.074	8,699,937
5 years	0.11	9,425,360
6 years	0.18	10,382,720
7 years	0.28	10,537,318
8 years	0.45	10,440,457
9 years	0.64	9,949,012
10 years	0.83	9,049,507
11 years	1.00	8,087,514
12 years	1.15	7,303,151
13 years	1.37	6,612,160
14 years	1.57	6,054,526
15 years	1.70	5,591,675
16 years	1.79	4,858,625
17 years	1.83	4,040,458
18 years	1.87	3,261,622
19 years	1.88	2,479,858
20 years	1.87	1,845,952
21 years	1.82	1,321,417
22 years	1.81	913,980
23 years	1.76	619,531
24 years	1.64	428,815
25 years	1.53	313,355

Models that fail on these items more often

At least 1.3 times the rate of cars of the same ages and fuel, over ages with at least 1,000 tests each and 20,000 in total. Each generation of a model is compared on its own. 33 of these have their own page.

Model	Times as often	Tests (n)
MG ZSfirst used 2017 or later	at least 6.3	143,170
Chevrolet Spark	at least 5.3	59,796
Volkswagen Amarok	at least 3.6	82,102
Hyundai i800	at least 3.5	32,058
Peugeot 107	at least 3.0	464,216
Citroen C1	at least 2.9	671,515
Dacia Sandero	at least 2.9	415,804
Toyota Aygo	at least 2.9	1,006,151
Renault Captur	at least 2.8	597,036
Hyundai ix35	at least 2.7	209,126
SEAT Mii	at least 2.6	72,945
Chevrolet Aveo	at least 2.4	36,812
Skoda Citigo	at least 2.4	210,005
Suzuki Splash	at least 2.3	71,403
Hyundai i40	at least 2.3	85,833
Volkswagen Up	at least 2.2	501,026
Kia Ceed	at least 1.9	487,429
Peugeot 207	at least 1.9	587,825
Citroen Relay	at least 1.9	57,180
Renault Zoe	at least 1.9	74,266
Peugeot 108	at least 1.9	296,826
Vauxhall Agila	at least 1.9	144,956
Volkswagen Crafter	at least 1.8	27,414
Renault Master	at least 1.8	63,499
Toyota Hilux	at least 1.8	278,401

32 more models

Model	Times as often	Tests (n)
Smart Fortwo	at least 1.8	255,596
Kia Optima	at least 1.8	45,012
SEAT Altea	at least 1.7	62,006
Suzuki Vitarafirst used 2015 or later	at least 1.7	248,462
Mazda MX-5	at least 1.7	348,258
Kia Sedona	at least 1.7	21,149
Chevrolet Matiz	at least 1.6	44,172
Hyundai Coupe	at least 1.6	24,661
Mitsubishi Outlander	at least 1.6	305,188
Hyundai i30	at least 1.6	422,957
Nissan Almera	at least 1.6	64,930
Suzuki SX4	at least 1.6	167,151
Kia Picanto	at least 1.6	730,252
Suzuki Swift	at least 1.6	532,946
Dacia Duster	at least 1.5	274,804
SsangYong Korando	at least 1.5	31,615
Honda FR-V	at least 1.5	29,995
SEAT Ibiza	at least 1.4	775,282
Suzuki Celerio	at least 1.4	110,627
Mazda Bongo	at least 1.4	35,066
Kia Sportage	at least 1.3	1,070,582
Kia Stonic	at least 1.3	94,808
Dacia Logan	at least 1.3	61,822
Hyundai ix20	at least 1.3	116,300
Skoda Roomster	at least 1.3	75,084
Chrysler Grand Voyager	at least 1.3	23,503
Renault Kangoo	at least 1.3	229,058
Citroen C2	at least 1.3	49,932
Renault Clio	at least 1.3	1,326,120
Skoda Fabia	at least 1.3	937,544
Nissan Micra	at least 1.3	994,896
Ford EcoSport	at least 1.3	402,494

Models that fail on these items less often

At most 0.7 times the rate of cars of the same ages and fuel, on the same rules.

Model	Times as often	Tests (n)
Porsche 911	at most 0.5	174,386

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Other repairs

Exterior bulb replacement£3.99 median
Tyre replacement£87.05 median
Headlight alignmentlabour rate
Coil spring replacementlabour rate
Wiper blade replacement£9.99 median
Handbrake repairlabour rate
Brake pad replacementlabour rate
Suspension ball joint replacementlabour rate
Anti-roll bar link replacementlabour rate
Headlight bulb replacement£3.99 median
Engine warning light diagnosislabour rate
Screenwash top-uplabour rate
Suspension arm bush replacementlabour rate
CV boot replacementlabour rate
Track rod end replacementlabour rate
Brake disc and pad replacementlabour rate
Shock absorber replacementlabour rate
Corrosion welding repairlabour rate
Washer system repairlabour rate
Exhaust repair£212.09 median
Emissions fail repairlabour rate
Brake pipe replacementlabour rate
ABS warning light repairlabour rate
Airbag warning light repairlabour rate
Brake imbalance repairlabour rate
Wheel bearing replacementlabour rate
Tyre pressure sensor replacementlabour rate
Horn repairlabour rate
Number plate replacementlabour rate
Exhaust mounting repairlabour rate
Wheel nut or bolt replacementlabour rate
Steering rack gaiter replacementlabour rate
Brake efficiency repairlabour rate
Headlight mounting repairlabour rate
Headlight unit replacementlabour rate
Headlight lens restorationlabour rate
Swivel pin replacementlabour rate

All repair costs All MOT defects

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Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025, and the MOT inspection manual published on GOV.UK. Prices: ONS consumer price inflation price quotes, September 2025 to August 2026, UK.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026. Prices updated 22 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA or the Office for National Statistics. How we calculate these figures · Data sources