Numbers: Getting Paid Properly

Dec. 27, 2022

Increasing your labor rate can be scary, but not as frighting as not being paid what you’re worth. 

Diagnosing today’s vehicles involves more than turning a wrench. Technicians need to perform computer-based diagnostics, learn new tools, and still do the basics well. Car repair isn’t cheap—nor are the tools and training. Learning to charge what you’re worth is paramount to running a successful shop. Raising rates can be scary, but when properly done and explained to the customers, it’s a natural procession of serving them to the best of your ability. 

  • 17%: Shops under $100 per hour
  • 42%: Shops charging labor rates more than $130 per hour 
  • 87% Shops that have raised their labor rates in the past two years 
About the Author

Chris Jones | Editor

Chris Jones is Group Editorial Director for the Vehicle Repair Group at Endeavor Business Media. He’s a multiple-award-winning editor and journalist and a certified project manager now providing editorial leadership and brand strategy for the auto care industry's most trusted automotive repair publications—Ratchet+Wrench, Modern Tire Dealer, National Oil & Lube News, FenderBender, ABRN, Professional Distributor, PTEN, Motor Age, and Aftermarket Business World.

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