The hourly rates for work in car repair shops have exceeded 200 euros on average for all services for the first time, the Association of the German Insurance Industry (GDV) reports. This means that the trend of the last few years continues, according to public broadcaster ARD.
The Federal Statistical Office also reports that a visit to a car repair shop is becoming more and more expensive: between 2017 and 2024, maintenance and repairs have increased in price by 48%.
Insurers are reporting an even greater increase. “The average value of property damage to passenger cars in 2024 reached 4,250 euros – "almost 60% more than in 2017, when this amount was around 2,700 euros," GDV CEO Jörg Asmussen was quoted as saying by ARD. This means that the price increase significantly exceeds inflation, which was 24% during the same period, the publication added.
Insurers pass on the high costs to customers
Insurers pay an average of 202 euros per hour of workshop work for repairs - for example, to fix mechanical and electrical faults or for tinsmithing work. Painting services are even more expensive - an average of 220 euros per hour. In addition to rising hourly rates, repair prices are also rising due to increasingly expensive spare parts. This also means additional costs for drivers: according to the GDV, insurance premiums have recently been raised.
It's even more expensive with electric cars
According to the technical inspection company Dekra, repairs to electric cars between three and ten years old are around ten percent more expensive than those for cars with internal combustion engines of the same age. This is because these repairs require more work - for example, the electrical voltage has to be switched off, which is an additional step. In addition, mechanics must acquire additional qualifications to be able to work with high-voltage systems, explains the ARD.
€389 per year for car repairs
According to the German Federal Statistical Office, car maintenance and repairs cost Germans a total of €22.62 billion in 2024. On average, a car owner spends 389 euros a year in a car repair shop.
Data from the German Insurance Industry Association GDV, based on Dekra's expert reports, show the same picture, ARD also points out.