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Last updated: 2 January 2025
What’s the average mechanic salary?
Gaining experience can earn you more as a mobile mechanic. Here's where to look for the average mechanic salary and what you could earn by running your own mechanic trade business.
Working as a mobile mechanic calls for dedication and skill. That’s why the average mechanic salary goes up the more experience you have.
From apprentices to trade business owners, it can be a rewarding trade to get into. For many tradespeople, setting up in business is their ambition.
If that sounds like you, then it could pay to go mobile. Did you know that in 2024, there wereover 388,000 searches for vehicle services and mechanic work through the Checkatrade website?*
People are already searching!
Mobile mechanics can avoid a lot of business overheads, like renting premises. Plus, they’re flexible to go where their customers want them.
How to become a mobile mechanic
What is a mobile mechanic? First things first, you might be wondering, what is a mobile mechanic? And what do mobile mechanics do? Well, to put it simply, a mobile mechanic offers auto repair services in a mobile manner. Therefore, rather than having a fixed garage location, they’ll travel from
How much can a mechanic earn?
Your earning potential depends on experience. As you can see, apprentice mechanics start on the bottom rung as they learn their trade.
| Level | Per hour | Per day | Per year | Business Costs* | Approximate Take Home Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | £6.50 | £52 | £11,414 | £0 | £11,024 |
| Newly Qualified | £10 | £80 | £17,560 | £0 | £15,434 |
| Employed | £17 | £136 | £35,360 | £0 | £27,538 |
| Sole Trader | £37.50 | £300 | £55,314 | £6,914 | £37,010 |
| Business Owner (ltd company) | £45 | £360 | £66,377 | £11,616 | £43,268 |
| *includes estimated costs for business expenses such as vehicle, tools, insurance, fuel etc | |||||
| Last updated: November 2024 Our costs are ballpark averages - get a local tradesperson to quote now | |||||
Once qualified, and as an employee of a business, your pay rate should go up. If you work for yourself or run your own business, then that usually pays the most.
Apprentice mechanic
Becoming a mechanic is a great way to start out in a trade profession.
There are plenty of ways to qualify and becoming an apprentice is one of them. As an apprentice mechanic, you could earn £11,414 per year .
Qualified mechanic
Once you qualify in the mechanic trade, your salary should go up. As a newly qualified mechanic, you can expect to be earning £17,560 per year.
At this stage in your career, you’re likely to be working for someone else. As an employee for a business, your average salary is likely to be £35,360 per year.
Business owner
Of course, many tradespeople aspire to be their own boss. Typically, this can be as a sole trader. Here, your average salary should be around £55,314 per year.
Remember, as a business owner you’ll also have to pay business expenses. For a sole trader mechanic, these could be £6,914 per year.
By setting up a limited company business you can usually charge more for your mechanic services. The average salary of a mechanic who owns a limited company is £66,377 per year.
Once again, don’t forget that limited companies incur business costs. For mechanics who own a limited company, these average £11,616 per year.
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What's the average mechanic salary for an employee?
Like many trades, there’s usually a divide for mechanics between before and after qualification. Expect to earn less as you begin your career as an apprentice.
As an employee, continuously learning and taking new qualifications should see your salary rise with experience.
Hourly or daily rates generally depend on how your employer prefers to work. Often, that depends on the nature and length of typical jobs.
Hourly rates for mechanics
Apprentice: £6.50 per hour
Newly qualified: £10 per hour
Employed: £17 per hour
Daily rates for mechanics
These daily rates are based on an eight-hour day:
Apprentice: £52 per day
Newly qualified: £80 per day
Employed: £136 per day
Fine-tune your mobile mechanic business for growth
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Salaries for running your own mechanic business
Now, let’s move up a gear and look at mechanic salaries for business owners. You can earn a lot more. But remember that as a business owner, you’ll probably take on more of the risks.
If you’re thinking about starting a mechanic business, you’ll need a plan. A workable business plan can help you map out your future.
One of the essentials for running any business is knowing how to bring in customers. That usually comes down to having good sales and marketing.
Don't forget business expenses
As well as your income, your business will incur expenses. You’ll need to keep on top of business costs for your trade business to be profitable.
Another benefit of running your own business is that you can use certain business costs to reduce your taxable profit.
Salaries for sole trader mechanics
Going it alone as a self-employed sole trader brings its rewards. Being in greater control of your career also means being able to earn more.
A sole trader mechanic's annual salary is £55,314 per year .
You can expect average annual business costs in the region of £6,914 per year .
Salaries for running a limited company
Moving your trade business to limited company status is a big step. It’s one you need to think about carefully. There are benefits and drawbacks of setting up a limited company.
As a business owner, you're likely to be able to set your salary level. The average salary if you own a mechanic business and it is a limited company is around £66,377 per year .
You’ll then need to deduct business costs, which average £11,616 per year .
What type of business set-up works best for you?
Running a business isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. However, for many tradespeople, it’s a definite career ambition.
If you decide to go it alone there are several options open to you. As we’ve said, these include being a sole trader and setting up a limited company. Take a long hard look at the differences between sole trader and limited company.
These average salary figures for mechanics may persuade you to set up a business. If they have, then the next step is to be your own boss.
Top tips on how to become your own boss
"I can't afford to start my own business." "I don't have the experience or knowledge to run a business." "What if I fail?" You wouldn't be human if you didn't have these doubts swirling through your mind. Every successful entrepreneur thinks this before starting up at some point. The fact of the
Find more leads for your mechanic business
Being your own boss can sometimes feel a bit lonely. But you don’t have to look far for support. One way is by keeping your pipeline of sales leads flowing.
That’s where you can call on us. Checkatrade members receive our help with new enquiries. In 2024 alone, there wereover 87,000 job searches just for mobile mechanic work on Checkatrade.*
There are lots of other benefits of Checkatrade membership too. For example:
Exclusive offers and discounts with suppliers like Tradepoint and Wickes
Reduced cost of workwear and branding
Guaranteed work when booked through us (T&Cs apply)
Dedicated trades apps for job management and quoting/invoicing
Our fixed term membership plans give you an easier way to help manage marketing spend for a set volume of leads.
What do you need to become Checkatrade approved?
Becoming a Checkatrade member comes with a whole host of benefits, but the biggest has to be gaining our seal of approval. Homeowners tend to expect a commitment to quality when it comes to the Checkatrade tick, which can help you to win more business. Here are the checks you'll need to pass to join our directory.
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* Internal search data from users of the Checkatrade.com website between 1st January and 31st December 2024
