Repair costs

Shock absorber replacement 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No public source records the price of this whole job, and the time it takes varies from car to car, so we do not publish a single figure.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

Shock absorber has light misting of oil2.89 per 100
Shock absorber has a serious fluid leak0.86 per 100
Shock absorber has a slightly worn bush0.32 per 100
Shock absorber has a reduced damping effect0.24 per 100
Shock absorber has an excessively worn bush0.13 per 100
Shock absorber has negligible damping effect0.098 per 100

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

How often by age

All cars: 1.08 fail items per 100 MOTs that this repair fixes (n=130,233,413 tests), highest at 15 years with 2.07 per 100 (n=5,591,675). A test with two such items counts twice.

Fail items fixed by shock absorber replacement, per 100 MOT tests of cars at each age.
Age	Per 100 MOTs	Tests (n)
3 years	0.24	8,016,463
4 years	0.24	8,699,937
5 years	0.29	9,425,360
6 years	0.41	10,382,720
7 years	0.59	10,537,318
8 years	0.80	10,440,457
9 years	0.96	9,949,012
10 years	1.17	9,049,507
11 years	1.39	8,087,514
12 years	1.61	7,303,151
13 years	1.86	6,612,160
14 years	2.01	6,054,526
15 years	2.07	5,591,675
16 years	2.03	4,858,625
17 years	1.97	4,040,458
18 years	1.87	3,261,622
19 years	1.73	2,479,858
20 years	1.59	1,845,952
21 years	1.54	1,321,417
22 years	1.46	913,980
23 years	1.38	619,531
24 years	1.30	428,815
25 years	1.35	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. 28 of these have their own page.

Model	Times as often	Tests (n)
Fiat Tipo	at least 6.6	49,704
Fiat Fiorino	at least 5.9	32,190
Isuzu D-Max	at least 5.8	134,777
Vauxhall Adam	at least 5.8	237,726
Peugeot Bipper	at least 5.4	82,778
Fiat 500	at least 5.1	1,394,433
Citroen Nemo	at least 5.0	57,536
Fiat Panda	at least 4.1	362,907
Ford Ka	at least 3.7	743,190
Skoda Karoq	at least 3.4	184,189
Abarth 500	at least 3.2	102,099
Skoda Superb	at least 3.0	248,705
Renault Trafic	at least 2.2	428,817
SEAT Leon	at least 2.2	739,732
Volkswagen Amarok	at least 2.2	82,102
Mazda 5	at least 2.1	44,929
BMW 3 Series	at least 2.0	1,972,463
BMW 1 Series	at least 2.0	1,589,384
SEAT Ibiza	at least 2.0	775,282
Vauxhall Vivaro	at least 1.9	739,286
SEAT Toledofirst used 2012 or later	at least 1.8	20,583
Vauxhall Corsa	at least 1.8	3,740,055
Land Rover Defenderfirst used before 2020	at least 1.8	291,433
Citroen Relay	at least 1.8	57,180
Mitsubishi L200	at least 1.7	356,000

23 more models

Model	Times as often	Tests (n)
Volkswagen Fox	at least 1.7	108,524
Skoda Rapid	at least 1.6	89,648
Honda Civic	at least 1.5	1,140,581
Volvo C70	at least 1.5	30,662
Kia Carens	at least 1.5	59,911
Mazda 2	at least 1.5	509,644
Skoda Octavia	at least 1.5	817,089
Hyundai Getz	at least 1.5	85,143
London Taxis International TX4	at least 1.4	53,539
BMW 4 Series	at least 1.4	417,430
Toyota MR2	at least 1.4	30,113
Renault Megane	at least 1.4	441,407
SEAT Altea	at least 1.4	62,006
Volkswagen Passat	at least 1.4	792,205
Chevrolet Matiz	at least 1.4	44,172
Volvo V60	at least 1.3	152,693
Lexus GS	at least 1.3	27,787
Fiat Punto	at least 1.3	310,264
Volkswagen Polo	at least 1.3	2,506,053
Audi A5	at least 1.3	501,056
Vauxhall Combo	at least 1.3	423,103
Volkswagen CC	at least 1.3	56,184
Renault Laguna	at least 1.3	39,310

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)
Mercedes-Benz GLC	at most 0.5	298,696
Audi Q5	at most 0.7	422,669

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.

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Airbag warning light repairlabour rate
Brake imbalance repairlabour rate
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Tyre pressure sensor replacementlabour rate
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Brake efficiency repairlabour rate
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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