Motorists with ageing cars are looking to build relationships with a trusted mechanic, not go to dealerships, says Amanda Webb, chief executive at FixMyCar. But locality and convenience are deciding factors as well as price.
Repair costs are climbing, with clutch replacement quotes having risen £50 per job since 2024, and car maintenance is competing with rocketing living costs for a chunk of the pay packet.
Motorists are also holding onto their vehicles for longer. Data from FixMyCar shows that 50% of vehicles coming through its platform are now aged 16 years or older, while the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reports that the average age of a car on UK roads has risen to 10 years since 2020 when it was two years younger.
Yet, while price is important, it’s not motorists’ only priority when picking a garage for repairs. Nor is it the chief one.
Location, reputation, and transparency all supersede cost for drivers when they’re making their selection. This is good news for garages.
Rather than squeezing margins until they disappear, repairers can instead focus on the value they bring: giving motorists reliable, expert advice and a convenient, trustworthy service.
Repair or replace?
Even with repair costs rising, maintaining an ageing vehicle has become a popular choice for many. The promise of updated technology in a newer model isn’t enough to tempt many motorists at a time when the average used car costs more than £17,000.
Motorists are even choosing to delay expensive or ostensibly non-essential repairs, with the most frequently delayed repairs including replacing a timing belt, changing the oil and filter, and replacing worn tyres.
The focus on repairs over replacement is opening up new opportunities for garages. Motorists with ageing vehicles are thinking in the long-term and opting to build a relationship with the mechanic, not the dealer.
Garages that want to make the most of this shift will be trying to understand driver priorities and refining their offering to meet motorists’ needs.
Price isn’t everything
Such priorities include finding a garage that is conveniently located, as well as trustworthy. Indeed, location is a more powerful factor in choosing a garage than price: 57% of drivers consider a convenient and local garage location important in their choice of garage, while less than a third (29%) consider low prices important.
Transparency and reputation are also favoured over invoice figures, with almost half (47%) of drivers considering clear, transparent work and pricing the most important consideration, and 31% considering good reviews.
This data is encouraging news for all garages, but especially for independent firms. Maintaining relevance in a highly competitive landscape isn’t about joining a race to the bottom – it’s about forging a strong relationship with customers and completing repairs that will last.
In fact, drivers are even willing to pay more for a quality repair, with more than three in five (62%) saying they would be willing to pay more for higher-quality parts. Garages that can provide these higher-quality options (and explain the differences in clear, straightforward language) stand to win both new and repeat custom.
There are also a number of practical steps garages can take to increase transparency and inspire trust in their clients. Providing customers with written or digital quotes before starting work – including a breakdown of parts , labour, and VAT – helps remove unnecessary mystery and confusion around car repairs, and publishing fixed prices for common jobs, such as MOTs or services, massively boosts transparency.
Offering customers choice in their repairs, such as whether OEM parts or high-quality, reconditioned parts are used, builds trust with customers too. Technology can be a huge help: sending photo or video updates to customers helps keep them informed and avoid misunderstandings further down the line, while a transparent booking platform helps quality garages compete, without having to resort to undercutting.
Community infrastructure
Motorists’ desire for local service and appetite for ageing cars is helping reframe the dynamic between driver and garage. Mechanics now have an opportunity to become essential, long-term partners to their customers, and move beyond the role of transactional service provider.
Garages are more than pit stops for a quick fix – they’re a critical part of community infrastructure. Much like a doctor, it’s their knowledge, experience, and ongoing relationships with the people they serve that provide crucial value.
Despite rising costs and economic pressures, drivers aren’t chasing the cheapest quotes available. Instead, they’re making increasingly sophisticated decisions that prioritise convenience, trust, and relationship over price alone.
For garages, this opens up a wealth of opportunities. With the right strategy, and understanding of drivers’ needs, they can build a business based on sustainable pricing models, not bids to outdo the competition.
Author: Amanda Webb, chief executive, FixMyCar