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Automobile restore prices are up nearly 20% prior to now 12 months, in response to the consumer price index — greater than six occasions the national inflation rate and among the many largest annual value will increase of any family good or service.
So, what’s driving up costs?
It is a mixture of things, consultants mentioned. Some emerged within the pandemic period whereas others are longer-term tendencies within the auto market, they mentioned. Here is a take a look at six the reason why you are paying extra for automotive repairs.
1. Extra know-how in vehicles
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Frequent automotive repairs can run shoppers $500 to $600 a go to and typically “a lot greater,” according to AAA.
Extra superior — and dearer — know-how in automobiles is an enormous cause for greater restore prices, mentioned Robert Sinclair, Jr., a spokesman for AAA Northeast.
Take superior driver-assistance techniques, for instance. Such applied sciences — like auto emergency braking, lane protecting help or cross-traffic alert techniques — have “proliferated” and can be found in nearly any automobile, Sinclair mentioned.
Digital sensors to facilitate these applied sciences are present in bumpers, fenders and grilles, that are generally broken in wrecks, he mentioned.
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Put one other approach, vehicles at the moment are like computer systems that run on gasoline or electrical energy, mentioned Skyler Chadwick, director of product consulting at Cox Automotive.
Not solely are there greater prices related to fixing damaged know-how, however the tech additionally requires extra precision and time for auto physique work. For instance, the thickness of paint on a automotive bumper should be “good” so the sensors work correctly, Sinclair mentioned.
Think about this: One restore store proprietor advised Sinclair that putting a deer with a automobile can result in roughly $1,500 to $2,000 extra in repairs at the moment than it did 15 years in the past on account of these applied sciences.
2. Ongoing supply-chain points

It is not simply know-how, although: Many automotive elements have develop into pricier within the pandemic period on account of supply-chain points, Sinclair mentioned. These supply-chain points create shortages of sure elements (like microchips), making it more durable and pricier to switch elements throughout a restore.
“Provide chain issues we noticed within the pandemic primarily proceed,” he mentioned.
Main long-term shifts within the auto trade — towards extra automation and electrical automobiles — additionally require extra chips and put “additional pressure on an already stretched trade,” according to J.P. Morgan.
3. Longer automobile possession
Vehicles on the highway have additionally gotten regularly older, elevating the chance of “main repairs” being essential, Chadwick mentioned.
The typical age of passenger vehicles and vans in operation elevated to 12.2 years in 2022, up from about 10.5 years in 2010, according to S&P International Mobility.
Pandemic-era shortages for auto elements put upward strain on common automobile age. Shortages translated to a decrease stock of recent and used vehicles, and shoppers held onto their present vehicles for an extended time, wrote S&P International Mobility analysts.
Increased rates of interest beginning in early 2022 additionally meant it was dearer to purchase a automotive, Chadwick mentioned.
4. Extra automotive crashes
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The prevalence of automotive crashes jumped within the pandemic period, consultants mentioned.
There have been 6.1 million crashes reported to the police in 2021, up from about 5.3 million in 2020, in response to data compiled by the Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration.
Fatalities have additionally elevated: There have been nearly 43,000 deaths from motor-vehicle accidents in 2021, according to the NHTSA — the very best tally since 2005 and a ten.5% bounce from 2020, the biggest annual proportion improve on document. The variety of auto deaths in 2022 was similar (although barely much less) at 42,795.
Extra auto wrecks imply better demand for mechanics, serving to lift costs for automotive repairs, Sinclair mentioned.
5. Fewer auto restore technicians
In the meantime, there’s been a dearth of available mechanics to fulfill that better demand, translating to higher labor costs, auto consultants mentioned.
In 2021, for instance, there have been about 733,000 automotive technicians employed — an almost 5% decline from about 770,000 in 2018, the latest excessive level, in response to newest knowledge from the TechForce Basis, a nonprofit group advocating for technical careers.
There have been about 56,000 unfilled auto-technician positions from 2021 heading into 2022, its knowledge present.
Auto sellers ranked “service” because the enterprise space struggling most from staffing points, in response to Cox Automotive’s Q2 Vendor Sentiment Index.
6. Excessive-tech service appointments
Many restore outlets — notably at dealerships — have began sharing photographs and movies of potential issues with clients, type of like a telehealth appointment for his or her automotive, Chadwick mentioned. That service will increase the common restore price by $260, he mentioned.
“If I can really take a video and present you your oil pan is leaking actually dangerous … it makes extra sense to me as a shopper to get that work completed,” he defined.
General, income generated by every restore order was up 31.8% in June relative to January 2019, in response to Cox Automotive knowledge.